Bhopal: Inspired by Hrithik Roshan's character in Bollywood film 'Dhoom 2', a man in Bhopal allegedly attempted to steal gold worth Rs 15 crore from a museum. But in a bizarre twist, the thief was discovered unconscious inside the State Museum in Bhopal, with priceless artifacts like ancient gold coins and jewelry lying beside him.
Vinod Yadav, believed to be a professional thief, had entered the museum with a ticket on Sunday evening and managed to hide inside until the museum closed.
The museum remained closed on Monday, during which police believe Yadav broke into the two gallery rooms and stole the artifacts. When the museum reopened at 10.30 am on Tuesday, the staff discovered shattered glass and several valuable items missing.
Security personnel immediately began to search of the premises. During the search, they found Vinod Yadav lying unconscious in the hallway, near a large bag filled with stolen artifacts. The bag contained gold coins from the Gupta period, along with other items from the British and Nawab eras, including jewelry and utensils.
Investigations suggest that Yadav may have fallen from a height of over 23 feet while attempting to escape, resulting in an injury to his leg.
"The accused seems to have tried to jump over the wall, but failed, leading to his injury," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Riyaz Iqbal.
He said over 50 fingerprints were collected from the museum. Police are exploring the possibility of an accomplice outside the museum.
Among the recovered items are gold coins weighing between 50 to 100 grams each, estimated to be worth Rs 8 to 10 crore. DCP Iqbal said that the total value of the recovered goods could be around Rs 15 crore, emphasising that these items were taken from just two rooms in the museum. "The entire museum houses artifacts worth more than Rs 50 crore," he said.
The incident has raised serious concerns about the security arrangements at the State Museum including the lack of an alarm system and the fact that many of the CCTV cameras were non-functional. Additionally, the museum's doors, made of aluminum, were found to be weak, and parts of the roof were covered with easily breakable plastic sheets.
Despite these shortcomings, the alertness of the security guards played a crucial role in preventing the theft. The accused reportedly confessed that he had attempted to escape several times but was forced to retreat due to the constant patrolling by the guards.
A police team has been dispatched to Yadav's home in Bihar's Gaya to further investigate his background and possible connections.