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Journalism of Courage
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 didn8217;t seem preplanned, he added. quot;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.quot;
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 who8217;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.
