Museum theft probe handed over to CBI

KOLKATA: The state government has handed over the investigation into the missing Buddha bust to the Central Bureau of Investigation.
State home secretary Amit Kiran Deb on Monday said that the government had written to the Centre seeking CBI help for the recovery of the priceless antique stolen from the Indian Museum.
"We have decided to hand over the case to the CBI as the Buddha bust was stolen from an organisation that is under the central government.Besides, the museum theft is very serious in nature," Deb said.
He added that the city police detective department, however, would continue to work jointly with the CBI. Being the nodal agency of international investigating agency Interpol, CBI is felt to be better equipped in handling such antique theft cases.
Deb said preliminary investigation revealed that the theft was the handiwork of a syndicated gang.
"It was a bolt from the blue to us, a very unfortunate development indeed," Deb said.
Sleuths said they suspected that the bust might have been displaced before December 29 the day it was reported to be missing from its glass-case.
"Our probe revealed that the person who committed the theft worked on loosening the glass front of the case for a month or more. Once it was loose, he waited for the opportune moment to make away with the bust. It shows very painstaking planning," said a police investigator.
City police have collected over two hundred fingerprint impressions from the museum staff as well as from the known antique thieves.
They will send these fingerprint specimens to the CBI since the latter is considered to be the biggest repository of fingerprints of antique thieves and dubious antique dealers in the country.
"We have five different impressions on the glass case. Now they can be matched," said an officer. Deb said the interpol would be contacted if the need arises.
Earlier, CBI had been called in to solve the Tagore''s Nobel Medallion heist at Santiniketan.