MUMBAI, April 15: No leads have been discovered in the Alpaiwalla Museum robbery case, where 14 artefacts, including those belonging to Dadabhai Naoroji, were stolen on April 9.Said D C Wilson, senior inspector at Gamdevi police station, investigations reveal that the thieves entered from a window on the ground floor of the building. The robbery didn't seem preplanned, he added. "Only silver objects have been stolen. Right next to the showcases which housed the stolen objects was a Buddha idol, believed to be about 1,000 years old, which could have fetched a real handsome price in the antique black market, but it was not even touched."Wilson added that antique shops in the city have been alerted to inform the police if they are made offers for buying the stolen objects. "Antique dealers generally never buy artefacts without verifying their authencity and without proper authorisation from the owners. In this case, almost all the articles bear inscriptions that they were awarded to particular persons.Legally, no antique dealer can purchase such articles without verification of their sources," said Wilson.The museum, funded by the Bombay Parsi Panchayat, houses rare Zoroastrian antique pieces donated by the late Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla. Gold-rimmed glasses and a silver scroll belonging to Dadabhai Naoroji, a silver trophy, a silver elephant, a stand and a snuff box were among the articles stolen from the museum.The elderly watchman who's usually on duty overnight in the building had taken ill just a couple of days before the robbery. Generally, the first floor of the building is a buzz with activity, as it is a favourite haunt for children. However, on the day of the robbery, the place was empty owing to a community function in the area, Wilson informed. The museum curator, Nivedita Mehta, was unavailable for comment.
