More items recovered from man who stole Maradona’s watch

SILCHAR: More belongings of Diego Maradona have been

recovered from the house of Wazid Hussein, who was arrested on Saturday for stealing a limited edition Hublot watch engraved with the football legend’s signature from a Dubai storage and fleeing back home to Assam’s Sivasagar, police said on Sunday.

“Ref recovery of Hublot Watch of Late Diego Maradona, more memorabilia have been recovered. (It includes) jacket, track pant, T-shirt, shoes, toy doll, squash racket, watch, lighters, cap and iPads,” GP Singh, Assam’s special director of police, tweeted on Sunday. “The recovery has been made at the instance of Wazid Hussein detained yesterday by Sivasagar Police.”

Assam police arrested Hussein, a resident of Sivasagar district who worked as a security guard in the United Arab Emirates, after Dubai police requested Indian law enforcement authorities to catch the fugitive. They conducted searches after questioning the man and found several more items stashed at Hussein’s in-laws’ place at Khumatai in Moranhaat area of Charaideo district.

“We have recovered the items and informed our higher authorities. They are in contact with Dubai police,” said Rakesh Raushan, superintendent of police in Sivasagar district. “We are seeking details of the items that were stolen from the store in Dubai where the belongings of the football legend were kept.”

Hussein was on Saturday produced before a court, which sent him to a five-day remand, Raushan said. Further investigations are ongoing and Hussein’s family is cooperating with the authorities. Maradona was seen wearing two Hublot Big Bang watches during the FIFA World Cup 2010, when the watchmaker launched its Maradona Big Bang Chronograph Limited Edition.

Hussein worked as a guard at a private company in Dubai since 2016. The company apparently stored Maradona’s belongings. In August, he asked for permission to return to India, saying his father was unwell. Hussein allegedly stole several belongings of the late Argentinian footballer before returning home.

Hussein is not responding to interrogation, Raushan said. “He is not sharing details on how he managed to steal such important items and came back to India, hiding them from all those security systems in international airports,” the police officer said. “We are a bit surprised why he didn’t try to sell them. Our interrogation and investigation are going on.”