Calcutta, Feb. 4: Two Bangladesh police officers today said they had got “vital leads” in the probe into Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel medal heist.

Additional superintendent Abdullah Aref and his deputy Shyamal Chowdhury, who visited CID headquarters Bhabani Bhavan and met special inspector-general Rajeev Kumar, said they got the information following the arrest of an “international antique smuggler” from Dhaka on Saturday.

“Mohammad Hossain Shiplu was picked up from the Azimpur area of Dhaka. We’ve learnt that the gang behind the Nobel theft works across India, Bangladesh and the US. We have already received some vital leads and expect Shiplu to provide more information,” said Aref.

The medal was stolen along with other priceless memorabilia from a Santiniketan museum in 2004.

Sources said Shiplu was a close associate of Jiban Singha, the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO) chairman suspected to have played a hand in the Santiniketan theft.

“Singha took refuge in Shiplu’s house when he crossed over to Bangladesh on being chased by the police in India,” said Aref.

Singha, however, denied the allegation in a press release today. He accused the Indian government of trying to malign “Kamtapuri” people. “This is unthinkable, unfounded and totally biased propaganda intended to create general hatred and ill feelings against me and our struggle.”

Aref said the people of Bangladesh were “hurt” by the theft and “we will try our best to help” India trace the medal. But he added that Bangladesh police would expect help to get a hand on its criminals hiding in and around Calcutta.

“The CID did a great job and picked up six dreaded criminals, including an associate of Bangla Bhai, but we are still looking for the rest,” he said.

Kumar said Bengal made a similar request to the Bangladeshi officers. “We requested them to trace our criminals who have taken refuge there.”