Thieves nabbed with gold egg near Swiss border
A bejewelled golden egg stolen four years ago in Geneva and worth an estimated one million euros ($1.3 million) has been recovered by French police near the Swiss border, police said on Monday.
The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Fabergé pieces, was discovered on Thursday in a "suspect" BMW pulled over during a routine roadblock near the Swiss border, driven by two Belarusian men who were promptly arrested.
A third Belarusian, a Swiss resident trailing in a Jaguar, was pulled over and arrested a short while later, according to a police statement.
Under questioning, the three men unconvincingly claimed they had found the jewelled work of art lying on the ground, or had bought it cheaply in a flea-market, a French police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"They're not talking much," the official said.
"We have the impression we're dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork."
The three, aged between 24 and 38, were charged with receiving stolen goods and possessing a weapon.
They were already sought in France and Switzerland for several burglaries.
The egg, containing more than a kilogramme of gold and boasting hundreds of gems, was burgled in 2009 from a Kuwait import-export firm based in Geneva.
Photo: AFP
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The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Fabergé pieces, was discovered on Thursday in a "suspect" BMW pulled over during a routine roadblock near the Swiss border, driven by two Belarusian men who were promptly arrested.
A third Belarusian, a Swiss resident trailing in a Jaguar, was pulled over and arrested a short while later, according to a police statement.
Under questioning, the three men unconvincingly claimed they had found the jewelled work of art lying on the ground, or had bought it cheaply in a flea-market, a French police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"They're not talking much," the official said.
"We have the impression we're dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork."
The three, aged between 24 and 38, were charged with receiving stolen goods and possessing a weapon.
They were already sought in France and Switzerland for several burglaries.
The egg, containing more than a kilogramme of gold and boasting hundreds of gems, was burgled in 2009 from a Kuwait import-export firm based in Geneva.
Photo: AFP
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