Inspired by Dhoom 2, 3 men rob Delhi museum & steal antique Pashmina shawls

Inspired by popular Bollywood film 'Dhoom 2', three men, who allegedly stole 16 antique Pashmina shawls worth Rs two crore from the National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum in Lutyens' here, were arrested, police said today.

The accused - Vinay Parmar (28), Tarun Harvodiya (25) and Mohd Adil Sheikh (40) -- took advantage of the non- functional CCTV cameras at the museum and carried out the theft, they added.

Sheikh was arrested yesterday from southeast Delhi while two were already arrested in Kolkata two weeks back, the police said.

On October 31, D Rama Krishna Rao, administration and security officer filed a police complaint alleging that 16 antique Pashmina shawls were stolen from the museum in the last two days when the museum was closed, they said.

These shawls were brought from Kashmir and are 200-250 years old, the police said.

The accused had already carried out a recce and found that the CCTV cameras were not functioning. Two people had been regularly visiting the museum, posing as scholars researching on antiques, the police said.

On October 22, one of them had hid himself in the museum and after over an hour later, the suspect had raised an alarm that he was stuck inside the museum, they said.

After he was rescued, he told his accomplices that the CCTV were not functional in the museum, the police said.

It was found that Parmar's phone was active on October 29 in the area surrounding the museum and he was in touch with his accomplices and various calls were exchanged between them, the police said.

It was found that the cell phones of the accused were active in Kolkata, West Bengal, they said.

A police team departed for Kolkata and Parmar and Harvodiya were arrested on November 13. Fifteen shawls were recovered from Parmar's in-laws' place in Kolkata.

Subsequently, the third accused, Sheikh, was arrested yesterday from southeast Delhi's Okhla and a shawl was recovered from him, they said.

During interrogation, they disclosed that they were inspired by popular Bollywood film 'Dhoom 2' in which actor Hrithik Roshan committed theft of antique items from a museum, BK Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), said.

Parmar is fluent in French and German and has visited France, Germany and China. He has a good knowledge about antiques and their importance, he said.

Sheikh works as an exporter and a vendor of the Central Cotton Industries (CCI).