PROBE ON THE THEFT AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUM

Police sniffer dogs have been deployed for the investigations. They had gone towards the security room of the Museum, to where probably the thieves had entered:

Butts of ‘beedis’ were found inside the premises of the Museum:

Thieves had broken into the National museum last Friday night and had burgled 8 gold plated ancient swords, an expensive rare walking stick. 6 gold rings, a number of old coins, old notes and a rare sword used by the King ‘Sri Wickrema Rajasinghe”. The premises and the land that surrounds the National museum is 8 acres in extent, for which only three security personnel had been deployed for security.
 The CCTV cameras fixed inside the Museum had got defective just two days prior to the incident and had been taken away for repairs for rectification of the defects it is reported. The Police investigating into this theft of valuable items had deployed Police sniffer dogs to facilitate their investigation process. It is learnt that the sniffer dogs had smelt something and they had gone to the area occupied by the security personnel. For this reason the Police is suspecting that the security personnel attached to the National Museum may have been responsible for this theft.
It is suspected that the person who was responsible for the theft of these lost articles had stayed the night inside the Museum hidden and had had escaped on the 16th night with the articles that were stolen. The historically high valued articles that were robbed had been bundled together and had been sent down from the 2nd floor balcony with the aid of a rope which was collected from a person who had stayed below at ground level. It is learnt that the articles which were inside the cabinets with glass coverings had been very tactfully pulled out without causing damages to the glass coverings.
The articles that were stolen had been taken out after the person who really robbed them made his way down to the ground with the aid of a rope and the help of his colleague.
It is reliably learnt that several butts of ‘beedis’ smoked by the thieves had been scattered at various points inside the Museum and an abandoned helmet also had been left by the thieves. A piece of cloth and a rope were found left by the thieves. It is learnt that these butts of ‘beedis’ it has revealed are smoked by those who are drug addicts. All these have been taken possession of by the Police for DNA investigations.
The sudden breakdown of CCTV cameras and the theft of articles had taken place almost simultaneously and this fact had given some thought for the investigators that this may have been an inside job or with the help of their own workers. The manner the thieves had escaped from the balcony may have been in connivance with the security personnel.
When the doors of the Museum, was opened on the 17th only it was made to know by those working staff that certain items had been robbed from the Museum. The CCTV cameras were not functioning for two days. This theft would have manipulated very shrewdly and tactfully as the CCTV cameras were none functioning.
About this incident the CID had questioned all 45 employees attached to the staff of the National Museum, and the 11 security officers. It is the opinion of the Police that 3 persons would have been responsible in the theft. On the day of the incident only 3 security officers had been on duty. 4 other Security Officers who were off duty were in their rest rooms. According to police 3 persons to look after the security of the Museum premises, 8 acres in extent is barely insufficient.
It is learnt from the investigations that the Administrative Officers had not taken sufficient steps to deploy more security personnel especially as the CCTV cameras were not functioning. To avoid these ancient very valuable items been smuggled out of the country, the security at the Port and the airport has been tightened.
The Police Media Spokesman, Lawyer, Ajith Rohana is seeking public information to bring to book the thieves involved in this unfortunate robbery.