Thieves have escaped with historic jewels in a daring heist from the Doge's Palace in Venice.
According to Reuters, at least two thieves are thought to have perpetrated the theft from the exhibition of Indian artifacts owned by Qatari Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah al-Thani on Wednesday (local time).
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The thieves allegedly mixed with other visitors until an opportune moment, when one snatched the jewels as the other kept look out.
The criminals were allegedly able to interfere with security systems, which didn't trip when the jewels were removed and only sounded as the thieves were making their escape.
Local authorities suspect the thieves were professionals and part of a larger gang, with the city's police commissioner Vito Gagliardi telling Reuters: “We are certainly dealing with very skilled professionals, who got away with it even though the building and the rooms were kitted out with very advanced technological systems.”
Mr Gagliardi says that the jewels only have a customs value of NZ$50,000 but indicated that the actual worth is more likely "a few million euros."
Another Venetian police spokesperson told CNN that the stolen pieces were "of great value" but would not make a more precise estimate of their worth.
Newshub.
