Indian Artefacts From British Raj Among 600 Items Stolen In 'High Value' Burglary In UK Museum

New Delhi: More than 600 items of significant cultural value, including artefacts linked to the British Raj in India, were stolen in a “high value” theft from a museum in Bristol, police said. 

According to the Avon and Somerset Police, the incident took place on September 25 at the museum located in the Cumberland Basin area of Bristol. The building housed the British Empire and Commonwealth collection of the museum. The CCTV footage reportedly showed four male suspects.

According to some reports, the stolen items included military memorabilia, jewelry, natural history pieces and carved ivory, bronze and silver figurines. An ivory Buddha and a waist belt buckle believed to have belonged to an officer from the East India Company were also among the most important pieces stolen. Most of the stolen pieces were donated items and were part of an important collection that reflected the colonial legacy of the British Raj, officers stressed.

The police said that the investigation is ongoing. "We've charged three men after two homes in South Gloucestershire were burgled as the householders slept. The men, all in their twenties and from Weston-super-Mare, are now on conditional court bail with curfews and tags until a hearing on 16 Jan 2026," the police were quoted as saying in the reports.

"Detectives investigating a high value burglary of museum artefacts are appealing for the public's help to identify these people," Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement. Lamenting that the scale of the loss was both was significant both culturally and historically, the police said that "more than 600 artefacts of various descriptions were taken by the offenders." 

The investigation is focusing on extensive review of CCTV footages, forensic work and getting in touch with the victims linked to the stolen collection. The police have urged people who recognise any of the men in the CCTV footage released or has seen photos of the stolen items posted for sale online, to come forward.

According to Philip Walker, the head of culture and creative industries at the Bristol City Council, which is in charge of the day-to-day functions of the museum, reportedly said that the theft was "devastating".

The Bristol Museum stated that its British Empire and Commonwealth collection consists of several household objects, photographs, papers and personal souvenirs which were mostly donated by British individuals who had lived or worked in colonial territories.

The museum stated that its collection aims to give an "insight into the workings of the British Empire and the lives of the people who made it function." It said that it helps communities "explore difficult, forgotten or hidden histories from their own perspectives".

According to reports, most of the artefacts belonged to the former British Empire and Commonwealth Museum in Bristol. It includes around 2,000 items in its film archive, including footages from 1920 to the 1970s and amateur footage from India and the African countries.

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