Royal antiques from Rewa museum robbed off, guard killed

In a daredevil incident, robbers did not even spare the antiques and ornaments belonging to the royal family of the erstwhile princely state. They struck at the museum in Rewa fort, murdered a security guard and escaped with valuables perhaps worth crores.

The incident occurred on late Tuesday night. The robbers killed the guard, Kamla Prasad, and stole antiques ranging from guns including foreign pen pistol, ornamental fabrics, silver umbrella, ornate wedding dresses worn by former royals, golden and silver lamps apart from jewellery.

Tens of kilogrammes of silver were stolen in the robbery. While a museum official said the stolen goods were invaluable and worth crores, the police didn't make any estimate of the value of the stolen goods. Police said a list was being prepared with the help of museum staff to ascertain the extent of theft, after which an estimate regarding value could be made.

In Bhopal, home minister Umashankar Gupta said the incident has been taken seriously and the IG and SP had reached the spot. "The investigation is going on and we hope to catch the robbers soon," he said.

Director general of police (DGP) Nandan Dubey said that the special task force (STF) has been asked to assist the Rewa police in cracking the case. Dubey hinted that there was certain clues including recovery of some goods but said unless there was arrest of the gang members, nothing could be revealed as yet.

IG GR Meena who had reached the spot said involvement of smugglers couldn't be ruled out. Police sources said the security guard, who was working here for almost decades, was killed with a sword or dagger.

The body was spotted on Wednesday morning and subsequently the theft of the antique goods was detected. Silver chairs and flags of the erstwhile princely state were also missing. The museum is operated under royal family and is located on the premises of the Rewa fort.

First Published: Oct 18, 2012 15:04 IST