George Cross sale put off: Official

The auctioning of an Indian soldier's 'George Cross' medal for bravery has been put off due to a probe into its ownership, an official linked to the sale said today.

"At the moment, the medal is not offered for sale. There are ongoing investigations into the question of ownership. Under these circumstances, we are unlikely to put the medal up for sale," said Nimord Dix, managing director of the Dix Noonan Webb, Britain's leading dealer in coins and medals.

The medal was awarded posthumously to Naik Kirpa Ram of the Frontier Force Rifles in 1946 for sacrificing his life in order to save his army comrades from harm.

But dispute arose over the ownership of the medal, Britain's highest civilian gallantry decoration after Kirpa Ram's widow Brahmi Devi claimed it was stolen from her house in Bharpal Village in Himachal Pradesh in 2002. However, the auctioner asserted they have affidavits to prove that she was handing it over to one Kapil Singh "with my sweet will" in April 2000.

In another affidavit, Singh said he received the medal from Brahmi Devi as a gift for "services I have provided for the past years" and he in turn was handing it over to SL Jain, whom Dix identified as a Delhi-based dealer.

The medal is expected to fetch 20,000 pounds.