What is the mystery of the treasure-filled bank vault in Bangladesh?

The sparkling Noor Hera diamond has been locked away in a bank vault for over a century. This is a mystery that still worries Khawaja Naeem Murad, the great-grandson of the last Nawab of Dhaka.

Did these family heirlooms, preserved in 1908, fall victim to the violent events that ended British rule in 1947?

Did they survive the 1971 Bangladesh War of Independence and subsequent uprisings, or are they still safe, dusty but safe.

Many people doubt when the jewels disappeared, and the government bank officials are reluctant to open the vault, fearing that if it turns out to be empty, the financial burden will fall on them.

But the financially troubled South Asian country has now ordered a committee to open the vaults, and Murad is now hopeful.

Murad, 55, said: ‘This is not a fictional story.’

In this story he mentions a huge diamond called the ‘river of light’ which was the centerpiece of a brilliant armlet.

Murad told AFP: ‘The diamond was rectangular in shape and surrounded by more than half a dozen smaller diamonds.’

It was part of a collection of 108 precious artefacts.

According to original court documents, it included a gold and silver sword studded with diamonds, encrusted with pearls, a bejeweled fez, and a beautiful star-shaped brooch once owned by a French queen.

The Nawab’s riverside palace, Ahsan Manzil, is now a government museum.

Murad, who was a famous film actor in the past, lives in a spacious villa in a posh area of ​​Dhaka.

He showed a pile of papers, including a family book with detailed pictures of these valuables.

The book states that ‘It is one of the most famous diamonds in the world, and its history is intertwined with the history of Mount of Light. His brilliance is unsurpassed.’

The Koh-e-Noor is the diamond that is the centerpiece of the British Crown, which is also claimed by Afghanistan, India, Iran and Pakistan.

Another pink diamond of the same name, the Noor River, is part of the former Imperial Jewels of Iran in Tehran.

Murad says his family’s diamond was also once owned by the Shahs of Iran, then worn by Sikh leader Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab in the 19th century.

It was later confiscated by the British and eventually acquired by his ancestors.

But fate took a turn. In 1908, the then Nawab suffered from severe financial crisis.

Sir Salimullah Bahadur borrowed from the British colonial rulers. He mortgaged his sprawling Dhaka properties and put the treasure in a vault as collateral.

This is the last confirmed record of this treasure. After that fact and fiction got mixed up.

Murad believes his uncle saw the jewelry in the bank in the 1980s, but bank officials say they don’t know if the vault was ever opened.

AJM Salahuddin Nagri, chairman of the Bangladesh Land Reforms Board, said the government agency has taken over the custody of the treasure, which is kept in a state-owned bank.

He told AFP: ‘But I haven’t seen the jewels yet.’

Court documents from 1908 don’t state how many carats the diamond was, but it was valued at five lakh rupees — part of a treasure worth then 1.8 lakh rupees.

In today’s terms, it is about $130 million, but experts say that the market value of such rare and large gems could be much higher now.

The current custodian, Shaukat Ali Khan, managing director of Sonali Bank, said the safe is still closed.

He said: ‘The vault is sealed. Many years ago, an inspection team came to inspect the jewellery, but they didn’t actually open the vault, they just opened the door that secures the vault.’

They are eager for the vault to eventually open, but no date has been set yet.

He said with a brief smile: ‘I’m excited.’

The family hopes to find out if the century-old debt is still outstanding, and if they can get the jewels back.

Murad dreams of a diamond, but says that his real desire is to see the treasure with his own eyes.

He said: We believe that if a person dies in debt, his soul will never rest.’