Kailash Satyarthi appeals to thieves: Return Nobel citation, it's 'nation's pride'

Kailash Satyarthi is hopeful that the police will catch the thieves and bring back his Nobel citation, so that he could show it to his grandson one day.

The Nobel laureate, whose citation was stolen on Monday, said that he heard about the news when he was in South America while attending a dinner with the President of Panama.

After returning from South America with his wife on Saturday, the Nobel laureate held a press briefing at his residence. Condemning the theft, he said it was a shameful thing not just for him but for the entire nation.

"They should not have stolen the citation as it is of national importance. I request the accused and ask them to return what is our nation's pride," Satyarthi said.

"On receiving it, I had kept the medal at Rashtrapati Bhavan after dedicating it to the country. It is on display at the President's museum. But I became emotional and kept the citation with me, so that my grandson could get inspired and see what his grandfather had accomplished," Satyarthi said.

The couple also said that they had specially bought a locker to keep the citation safe, as they had faced a jewellery theft earlier, too. "Once, all of my mother's jewellery that she had kept for my wife was stolen. After that, we bought a locker. Now our new locker has also been broken. Many of my other awards and gifts from around the world are also missing," Satyarthi said.

The Nobel laureate said he had planned to make a museum to display all these things for children. However, Satyarthi, who had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014, said he had full confidence that the citation would be recovered.

"I am sure the police are working diligently to nab the accused and I have full faith in their probe," he said. "This incident will not deter me from working the way I was working earlier," Satyarthi added.