THIS is with reference to the report ‘The curious case of the disappeared paintings’ (Sept 19), which narrated the heart-wre-nching tale of art theft. A post shared by a friend on social media also caught my attention, where the painter, Seffy Soomro, poured his heart out about the injustice he suffered.

Seffy, a fine arts student at the Univer-sity of Sindh, had produced paintings that touched many a heart. His artistic work was showcased at Karachi’s Frere Hall, including the image seen above.

However, his labour of love vanished into thin air. The theft was no petty crime; it was a sophisticated heist. The artist was simply told that the paintings had gone ‘missing’. Seffy realised he had been duped and lied to, but he remained mum, as art theft is commonplace in the country.

However, the paintings resurfaced on a private television channel’s drama serial recently, exposing the culprits’ web of deceit. Once Seffy posted his reaction on social media platforms, he received a lot of support, forcing the authorities to take up the matter officially.

What is now needed is a transparent investigation which should identify and punish the culprits, and return the artwork to the artist, who is the rightful owner.

Riaz Ali Panhwar
Hyderabad

*Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024