JEYPORE: Scores of historical artifacts have allegedly been stolen from the district museum here.The museum had been set up by the State Culture department at Jeypore Town Hall over three decades back. It had been closed after the Covid-19 lockdown in March.
Managed by a lone casual worker, it housed a large number of ancient items including coins dating back to the Bronze Age, Jain artifacts, traditional tribal costumes and antique ornaments.
On Sunday, the worker found that the front door of the museum had been forced open. On finding that many objects from the museum were missing, he informed district cultural officer (DCO) Akhaya Sethi. The latter visited the spot and filed a police complaint at Jeypore town police station.
However, the exact number of missing materials is yet to be ascertained by the department. “We are verifying the museum’s preservation records with the missing objects. As several categories of artifacts were preserved here, it will take some time to determine the exact number,” the DCO said.
As per reports, the value of the artifacts missing could amount to crores given their antiquity. Jeypore Town IIC Baleswar Gidhi said police are investigating the matter.