Taking advantage of Diwali vacation, unidentified thieves stole two revolvers and a sword sheath from a famous government-run museum in the state.
The theft came to light when the curator of the Sayajibaug-based Vadodara Museum and Picture Gallery spotted a broken window grill this morning.
"Due to Diwali, the museum was closed since October 22. When we opened it this morning after three days, we found one of the window grills broken. Upon checking inside, we learned that the thieves had stolen two revolvers and one sword sheath kept in the display showcase," curator V M Patel, who approached Sayajigunj police and lodged a complaint, said.
Surprisingly, thieves kept aside the sword and took only it's sheath, which had a gold plating, added.
Sayajigunj police station sub-inspector Sandeep Vasava said a case has been registered and investigations were on.
According to Patel, none of the stolen items can be put into the category of 'antiques', since the revolvers were gifted by a donor just two months ago, while the sword was purchased by the museum in 1986.
"These two revolvers were gifted to us by a retired IAS officer, who found it difficult to repair them due to unavailability of parts. As per our record, the sword was purchased in 1986 by us. The sheath had delicate carvings on the gold plating," Patel said.
The museum, which is now run by the Gujarat government, was built by Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad-III in 1894.
According to the Gujarat state government website, this museum is the biggest of all museums in the state and possesses unique collections representing local, regional, national and international cultures as well as civilisations.
It is also famous for European oil paintings, miniature paintings and sculptures. There are nearly 69,923 exhibits in the museum.
