The Jamnagar police have registered a complaint of burglary from the historic Jam Bungalow Palace, the forest resort of the erstwhile rulers of Jamnagar in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
According to Deputy Inspector-General of police, Saurashtra range, Manoj Shashidharan, the burglary could have taken place over a period of time as the palace, located in the Sir Peter Nature Park outside the Jamnagar city, remained closed for the last several months and was last visited by the family members in May 2009.
Reports reaching here said the famous inscribed cricket bat of Jamsaheb Ranjitsinhji, who played for England and in whose name Ranji Trophy is instituted in the country, could be among the artefacts missing from the palace. Mr. Shashidharan, however, believed that such priceless articles would not be kept in a deserted place, but must be in the main palace Pilot Vilas in Jamnagar city.
He said the exact details of the burglary would be known only after the present heir, Jam Shatrushalyasinhji, who mostly stayed in Mumbai and who was informed of the theft, reached Jamnagar by Tuesday.
The wooden door of the forest resort was found broken and several glass panes of the building missing. A lone watchman looked after the place. He was reported to be ailing for the last few days with age-related problems, the police said.
