The Black Vault - Police dismiss 'evil' rumours in search for missing Dracula statue

Romanian police are dismissing rumours of evil forces at work after a 13th century statuette vanished from a locked room in Castle Dracula during an electrical storm.

Chief investigator with the Bran police, Danut Sindrilau, said: "Lightning struck the castle and plunged it into darkness, and when the lights came back on the statue had vanished.

"It is a mystery as the gates were locked and the walls which are 28-feet thick have no windows."

The statue has never been identified but has stood in its alcove at Castle Dracula since the 13th century.

It was still in place during the 15th century when the man who inspired the legend of Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, came to rule.

Local legend claims that the castle was once owned by Vlad, the prince who ruled the region of Wallachia in the 15th century and who was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.

But Mr Sindrilau says, despite superstitious talk, he believes the disappearance had more to do with its estimated value of Ł750,000 than the supernatural.

He said: "Evil forces or not we have alerted border guards and officers across the country to be on the alert for any signs of the statue stolen from the castle."

Staff at the castle noticed the statue of a mystery nobleman made of marble and volcanic stone was missing from the castle in Bran in central Romania after the storm last week.

Mr Sindrilau added: "The thief knew what he was doing. The manner in which the room was broken into remains a mystery to us. The hall was pretty well secured with padlocks which have shown no signs of being forced open."

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