The Limburg police have a view of concrete suspects of the brutal robbery of jewelery worth millions during the art fair TEFAF in Maastricht. The Limburg criminal investigation department ended up in the Balkans. One of the stolen jewelry has also been found.
This was announced by the Limburg police on Friday. “This is not about the (well-known) large yellow diamond,” says the research leader in a press release. “But with the discovery of this piece of jewelry, the research team can take another big step in the investigation.” Police declined to provide further details about the find.
On 28 June last year, a violent robbery was committed in broad daylight at the TEFAF art fair. Four men, impeccably dressed in suits and British caps, smashed the display cases at the stand of London jeweler Symbolic & Chase with hammers. Among other things, a very expensive necklace with a yellow diamond was captured. This piece of jewelry is said to have a value of 27 million euros.
Pink Panthers
Immediately after the robbery, rumors spread that it would concern the famous jewelry gang the Pink Panthers. That is a group from former Yugoslavia, which was once started by former soldiers. They are known for their brutal robberies that other criminals do not dare. Eight months after the spectacular jewelry robbery at TEFAF, several robbers would be recognized as members of the gang, sources tell this newspaper. The police would not confirm that.
A total of ten pieces of jewelry were stolen during the robbery. The British company Charles Taylor, which is investigating the robbery on behalf of the insurers, then offered half a million for the golden tip. A lot of information came in, of which only a handful of concrete tips remained. These included the identity of the suspects and the whereabouts of the jewellery.
Europol
A Large-Scale Investigation Team was assigned to the investigation from the start. This happens in the case of serious crimes such as murders where there is not yet a perpetrator in sight. In total, twenty detectives from Limburg have been on the case since June. Under the direction of Europol, this involves cooperation with several European countries where similar robberies have taken place. There is also contact with the authorities from the relevant Balkan countries.
‘This research has an unprecedented international component. All information that is collected abroad is processed through requests for legal assistance, and that takes time. It is a long-term investigation,’ the police write in a press release. “But we are still confident that this case can be solved and the suspects will be apprehended and prosecuted.”
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