Enigma of the Missing Aircraft

Has a Messerschmitt Bf-109 sold illegally in Karnataka resurfaced in the UK?

Bangalore: In 2002, a Messerschmitt Bf-109 World War-II fighter jet was illegally sold for the ridiculously small amount of Rs 1 lakh by an engineering college in Karnataka. It was believed to have been shipped out of the country. But a few months ago, the grey market of aircraft antiques reported a refurbished Messerschmitt Bf-109 for sale in the UK. While it is not certain if it’s the same aircraft, as military planes do not have tail numbers like civilian ones, some believe it might be the same. The website warbirdsofindia.com claims that a Thai national bought it and later sold it to a London collector.

The single-propeller aircraft was presented to the Nizam of Hyderabad by the Royal Air Force. In 1968, the district administration gifted it to the PDA Engineering College run by the Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society (HKES). In 2002, HKES sold the rusting aircraft for Rs 1 lakh even though its value in the vintage aircraft market was then $300,000 (approximately Rs 1.5 crore).

SK Kantha, a former freedom fighter and politician, lodged a police complaint. A chargesheet was filed in 2006 accusing 16 persons of collusion, cheating and forgery. This included the HKES chairman and two-time Congress MP, BG Jawali, and a Bangalore-based antique dealer, Girish Naidu, who facilitated the sale to a foreign national. Air Marshal (retd) B Pandey says there is a huge market of billionaire enthusiasts for antique metal birds. “But if they belong to the Government, nobody can sell it.”

Meanwhile, the Karnataka Police do not seem interested in finding out whether the UK aircraft is the same as the one illegally sold. “Our duty ended with establishing that the aircraft was an antique piece and that it was indeed sold by a decision taken by the society’s board,’’ says an officer on condition of anonymity. Next week, the High Court has summoned two of the accused for a hearing on the issue.

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Anil Budur Lulla