Daring thieves drill through museum floor to steal 'priceless' silver artefacts

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A band of thieves pulled off a heist straight out of a movie after cutting through a military museum’s floor and stealing “priceless” historic antiques.

The raid, which took place at the Royal Lancers & Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum in the United Kingdom, was discovered after staff noticed several items missing upon arriving to work on Sunday.

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The items stolen include a distinctive parcel and gilt rosewater dish, the Hurlingham Grand Military Polo trophy, statuettes of mounted soldiers and a cavalry trumpet.

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The raid, which detectives described as “audacious” and “well organized”, is believed to have occurred between 02:40 and 03:30 GMT.

Nottinghamshire Police say a smaller hole was drilled for the thieves to assess the display before drilling a larger one through the wooden floor.

“It’s disgusting that they’ve taken history from the people who have served and fought for this country,” Museum curator Steve Cox told the BBC.

“The items they have taken are priceless to the museum. How do you put a value on history?”

Detective Sergeant Jackie Price of Nottinghamshire Police called the heist “audacious” and “well organized”, it was said in a press release.

“The items that were stolen are not only high in monetary value but also high in sentimental value not only to the military, but also to the wider community in the area,” he added.

“These items are worth so much more to the museum than they are melted down in their silver form.”

The detective urged anyone with additional information on the gang of thieves to come forward.

“You may think the information you have is irrelevant but could be exactly what we need to find those responsible,” he said.

“These criminals may think they’ve got away with a lot of silver at this moment in time, but they definitely haven’t got away with the crime.”

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