Last week the Sunday Tribune revealed that the warehouse where over 400 figures from the museum were being stored was broken into by vandals. The theft has resulted in the re-opening of the popular museum being placed in jeopardy because the figures were not insured.

Since the story was published, extra detectives from Pearse Street station have been drafted in to work on the case. Last Thursday gardai located Gollum and a number of holsters in an area close to where the waxworks are being stored in the south city centre.

The manager of the museum, Kay Murray, has identified the items as being part of her collection and they have been sent to garda headquarters in the Phoenix Park for forensic examination.

Detectives do not believe that children were responsible for the break-in and are following a number of lines of enquiry. The wax figures weigh in excess of 70 pounds and are difficult to carry.

Fifty figures were either damaged or stolen during the incident. Bob the Builder, one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Michael Collins were all taken while Bono, Bertie Ahern and Madonna were vandalised. A waxwork of Jesus was left untouched.

Sources say it is more likely that transport was used to carry the figures away but there are no CCTV cameras around the warehouse.

Kay Murray has presented detectives with a number of pictures of individuals who were in the warehouse on the June Bank holiday weekend, when she believes the robbery occurred.

Gardai have taken statements from several people and plan to interview more people over the coming days.

Kay Murray said: "I have been saying from day one that children were not behind this. The statues are very heavy and it would take an adult to do the amount of damage that has occurred. If five people leaned against the door of the store room it would be forced open.

That's what I think happened. Gardai took away hundreds of empty cans of beer from the premises so parties have obviously being going on there."

The news of the theft has been reported as far away as Moscow and Boston.

Murray is eager to use the publicity to try to bring the culprits to justice.

"We have had great support from around the world and foreign people come back to the museum year after year to see us. Hopefully with the spotlight being on us it will encourage people to go to the gardai with any information they have."

Gardai at Pearse Street can be contacted on 01-6669000.

Newspapers around the world followed up the Sunday Tribune's story last weekend about the theft and damage of figures from the National Wax Museum. The following were just some of their headlines . . .

'Hitler goes naked, Teletubbies go missing'. . . Chicago Tribune, 'Call the police! Hitler and FDR are naked!' . . .

Boston Herald 'Party-goers blamed for �1m damage at wax museum' . . . The Scotsman, 'Fuehrer over wax job' . . . Toronto Sun 'Ireland's wax museum vows to reopen' . . . The West Australian