Crime and forensic teams visit National Museum of Natural History in Delhi

New Delhi: Crime and forensic teams of police on Wednesday visited the National Museum of Natural History which was gutted by a massive fire in which thousands of plant and animal specimens were destroyed. [caption id=“attachment_2753438” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] Half a dozen personnel from crime and forensic branches accompanied by fire services personnel visited the building this afternoon. The forensic personnel picked up samples while the staff of the building was questioned by other members, a senior police officer said. The building was taken over by police after firefighters completed cooling of the charred edifice in a marathon operation, the officer said. A case under section 436 of IPC (mischief caused by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) has been registered against unnamed persons in connection with the incident. Police is probing the incident from all possible angles, including arson and sabotage. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained and forensic investigation can throw up clues leading to the exact cause of the blaze. The nearly four decade-old NMNH, housing thousands of rare specimens of flora and fauna including a 160-million-year old fossil bone of the Indian Sauropod Dinosaur, was ravaged in a massive blaze on Tuesday. The officials are also trying to list the items destroyed and assess the loss.