Nepal crown goes missing

The fabled crown of the Shah kings, studded with priceless gems and easily identifiable by the long bird of paradise feather rising from the apex, is missing, as well as the royal sceptre.

The crown was last worn in public by Gyanendra, the last king of Nepal, on June 4, 2001 when he ascended the throne a second time following the assassination of his brother Birendra.

Though a high-level committee formed by the government to make an inventory of the priceless heirlooms in the secretive palace has been repeatedly asking about the two erstwhile symbols of power, but no one had complied till Sunday.