Pieces of ancient Indian jewellery, belonging to Qatari collector, stolen from Venice show
In scenes reminiscent of Hollywood’s best heist movies, two thieves made off with millions of Euros worth of ancient Indian jewellery, belonging to a Qatari private collector, during an exhibition in Italy yesterday.
Two thieves got away with several items of Indian maharajahs’ treasures after an audacious heist at the Doge’s Palace in Venice, reported The Guardian.
While the stolen gems (a brooch and two ear rings) were not the top highlights of the collection, it still dated back to the Mughal Empire and were made of gold, platinum and diamonds, according to India West.
Two people, dressed in winter coats, approached a jewel case in the ‘Scrutiny Room,’ stood for a moment pretending to admire the collection until the room partially emptied and then skilfully opened the case before grabbing several precious pieces, reported The Daily Beast.
For some reason, the alarm was delayed from going off and by the time security guards arrived, the thieves had already mixed in with the crowd. They likely left the museum safely by blending in easily with the masses in St. Mark’s Square.
Venice Chief of Police Vito Gagliardi believes the thieves had visited the exhibit more than once before, likely to determine the type of security and to gauge both the size of the crowds and possibly even what they tended to wear at any given time of the day to make it easier to escape.
Surveillance video, which has not been released to the public, apparently shows the two thieves move toward the case.
However the items, which are believed to be worth several million Euros, may be difficult to sell on the black market because of their fame, said the Italian police, who have launched a formal investigation into the theft, according to the BBC.
The exhibition, titled ‘Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajahs’ and showcasing 270 precious gems and sparkling jewellery from the 16th to 20th Centuries, was due to close yesterday evening.
A spokesman for the collection, John Maxse, said it was in contact with Italian authorities and Venice’s Foundation of Civic Museums, which runs the Doge’s Palace.
In a statement, the foundation said the stolen brooch and earrings were “contemporary pieces and consequently are of less historical value than other items in the collection.”
Picture for representation only.
How come?
Only it's owner knows the time and effort he has taken to get it in his hand.
I remember he said to me once "treasures are to exhibit for public not to keep in the treasury like what your Govt. did with Jacob Diamond"
people commenting on ql either need to be patient for the "comment posted" page to load; or ql needs to speed up the confirmation page load time; or ql needs to remove the double/triple/quadruple/quintuple repeat comments :-)
sms: A monetary payment made by the insurers will not cover the real value of the jewels. They are priceless. Let's hope the police succeed in catching the criminals.
May be insurance company has to pay for this.
May be insurance company has to pay for this.
May be insurance company has to pay for this.