Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar said they were acting on a tip-off, police arrested Mohammed Ghouse Pasha (23) and his relative Mohammed Mubeen (24) from Himayathsagar area of the city and recovered the stolen artifacts.
The thieves had the burglars had hidden these exhibits inside a pit near Rajendra Nagar.
What was the plan?
Mohammed Ghouse Pasha is involved in 15 cases of theft and burglary, while Mubeen, a school drop-out, was deported from Saudi Arabia, where he was imprisoned for assaulting a Pakistani national, about four months back. Mubeen had gone to Saudi Arabia in search of livelihood.
After his return to Hyderabad, Mubeen visited Nizam's Museum and was impressed with its rich collection of precious artifacts. He discussed with Pasha how to steal some of those as such antique pieces could fetch them several crores of rupees in the international market.
The duo conducted a recce of the premises and knew well the location of the CCTV cameras.
They reached the museum on September 2. Pasha tied one end of a rope to the parapet wall and the other to Mubeen's waist, and lowered him into the third gallery through the ventilator.
"Mubeen, who entered the museum, damaged the camera inside and took out the gold tiffin box, gold cup and saucer, and the gold spoon from the showcase and put them into a bag. Pasha then pulled him out using the rope," the officer said.
The duo used and gloves to ensure they did not leave behind fingerprints and wore masks to avoid identification.
Their images coming out of the building and riding a motorcycle were, however, captured on CCTV cameras installed outside.
(with additional input from agencies)