In Dhoom-style heist, man steals Rs 150 crore worth of gold, falls while escaping and is arrested

Bhopal:

Inspired by Hrithik Roshan’s character in the Bollywood film “Dhoom 2”A Bhopal man allegedly tried to steal Rs 150 crore worth of gold from a museum. But in a bizarre twist of fate, the thief was found unconscious inside the Bhopal State Museum, with priceless items like ancient gold coins and jewellery lying next to him.

Vinod Yadav, considered 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 time Yadav allegedly burgled the two galleries and stole the artefacts. When the museum reopened at 10:30 am on Tuesday, staff found broken glass and several valuable items missing.

The security personnel immediately started searching the premises. During the search, they found Vinod Yadav lying unconscious in the corridor, near a large bag filled with stolen items. The bag contained gold coins from the Gupta period, as well as other items from the British and Nawab eras, including jewellery and utensils.

Investigations suggest that Yadav may have fallen from a height of over 23 feet while trying to escape, causing an injury to his leg.

“The accused appears to have tried to jump over the wall but failed, resulting in his injury,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Riyaz Iqbal said.

He said more than 50 fingerprints were found in the museum. Police are investigating the possibility of an accomplice from outside the museum.

Among the recovered items are gold coins weighing between 50 and 100 grams each, estimated to be worth Rs 8 million to Rs 10 million. Police Commissioner Iqbal said the total value of the recovered items could be around Rs 15 million, pointing out that these items were recovered from just two rooms of the museum. “The entire museum houses items worth more than Rs 50 million,” he said.

The incident raised serious concerns about the security measures in place at the State Museum, including the lack of an alarm system and the fact that many CCTV cameras were not working. In addition, the museum’s aluminium doors were found to be flimsy and parts of the roof were covered with easily breakable plastic sheets.

Despite these shortcomings, the vigilance of the security officers played a crucial role in preventing the robbery. The accused reportedly confessed to having attempted to escape on several occasions but was forced to retreat due to the incessant patrols of the security officers.

A police team has been rushed to Yadav’s house in Gaya, Bihar, to further investigate his antecedents and possible connections.