KOCHI (PTI): Antiques worth several millions of rupees were stolen from the Hill Palace Museum al Tripunithura in the southem Indian state of Kerala on Sept.1s.
According to police, about 24 invaluable silver and gold plated items like flower pots, jewel boxes, art works, silver rods, vessels, plates and traditional lamps were stolen from the glass shelves of the museum.
The theft was noticed when the museum officials opened the antiques gallery in the presence of the state cultural affairs minister T.M. Jacob and cultural secretary Dr.Babu Paul, who were there to attend the museum’s development committee meeting.
The stolen antiques date centuries back and had belonged to Cochin’s royal family. According to police, the burglars had entered the museum by lifting the tiles of the ancient palace and breaking opens the locked glass shelves. They had escaped through the window. A few times were left behind in an adjacent room.
The exact value of the stolen antiques was yet to be assessed, police said.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 24, 1993
