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Thieves nabbed with gold egg near Swiss border

AFP
AFP - [email protected]
Thieves nabbed with gold egg near Swiss border
Photos: AFP

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.

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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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