Mansoor Rahi son accused of stealing his paintings worth Rs1bn

The wife of renowned Pakistani artist Mansoor Ahmed Rahi has filed a police report against her son, accusing him of stealing her husband’s paintings valued at over Rs1 billion, which she claims contributed to his death, authorities said on Friday.

The incident was reported to the police by Mrs. Rahi on Thursday, nearly eight months after it took place. The Shalimar police have registered a case under Section 380 of the Pakistan Penal Code against her son and six of his friends.

According to the report, the son and his friends visited the family home in Sector F-11 in January. While the son took his parents out for dinner, his friends remained behind in the house. Upon their return, the son led his parent’s upstairs, but Mrs. Rahi heard unusual noises coming from the basement. When she asked about them, her son dismissed her concerns.

Curious, she went to the basement and discovered that 70 to 80 of her husband’s paintings had been removed from their frames and rolled up. The FIR states that the son and his friends then loaded the paintings into a vehicle right in front of her.

Mrs. Rahi reported that her husband was deeply distressed upon learning of their son’s actions, and he fell ill as a result. The couple tried multiple times to recover the paintings, but their efforts remain unsuccessful.

With a broken heart Mansoor Rahi passed away on May 12, leaving his wife devastated. Now, she wants to take legal action against her son for the theft of her late husband’s artwork, asking the police to assist in recovering the stolen pieces.