Antiques stolen from Nizam's Museum recovered, two held

Hyderabad: A gold tiffin box and other antiques stolen from Nizam's Museum here were recovered on Tuesday by Hyderabad police and two persons arrested in the case, Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said on Tuesday.

The men were arrested after they returned from Mumbai where they failed to find buyers for the antiques, he told a news conference here.

Accused Ghouse Pasha and Mohammed Mubeen are residents of Rajendra Nagar in Hyderabad.

The recovered items included a three-tier gold tiffin box studded with precious diamonds and rubies and weighing about 1,950 gm, a gold cup and saucer with precious stones (172 gm) and gold tea spoon (14 gm). 

The accused broke into the museum at Purani Haveli in the old city of Hyderabad on September 3 night by removing a ventilator grille. They used gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and wore masks to avoid identification.

The museum showcases personal belongings of successive Nizams and their family members, including gifts received by Mir Osman Ali Khan, sixth and the last Nizam from 1911 to 1948 when Hyderabad state was merged into India.

The museum has a fascinating collection of gifts that the last Nizam received on his silver jubilee celebrations in 1937. Over 1,000 objects are housed in the museum, with only over 400 open for public display.

The Nizam Trust, run by the Nizam's family, opened the museum in 2000. It is one of the major tourist attractions in the city.