Mid-day

Ajmer, May 8: A gold leaf, at the pinnacle of the dargah of Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti, was stolen on Sunday evening. According to the Ajmer police, the incident occurred at 7 pm.

Said Sitaram from the Ajmer Dargah Thane Circle, who is heading the investigation, “On Sunday evening, pilgrims spotted a youth climbing the dome of dargah. As they watched, they saw to their horror, that he was tearing the gold leaf from the pinnacle. So, they beat him.”

Pilgrims thought the man, who used a ladder to climb the dome, was an electrician hired to repair a tubelight

He added, “He said his name was Mehdi-Al-Hasan from Mumbai. The mob beat him and the injuries near his mouth prevented him from speaking. We have admitted him in the Jawaharlal Nehru Municipal Hospital at Ajmer.”

Said Abdul Bari from the Ajmer Dargah Committee, “The man used a ladder to climb the dome. Initially, we thought he was an electrician hired to repair a tubelight, but when he saw him take off the gold leaf, our people hauled him off and beat him.”