Indian jewels stolen in Doge’s Palace exhibition heist

IN A heist reminiscent of the Ocean’s Eleven film, thieves stole exquisite jewellery from a collection of Indian maharajas’ treasures on display in the Doge’s Palace in Venice yesterday.

The jewellery, believed to include bracelets and necklaces, was swiped on the final day of the exhibition, which opened in September.

The items were taken from a display case by one or possibly two men, who were caught on CCTV cameras but managed to escape.

The declared value of the stolen items on customs forms was only around €30,000 (£27,000) but in reality they were probably worth millions, police sources told the Italian media.

Entitled Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas, the exhibition boasted nearly 300 objects spanning five centuries of Indian craftsmanship.

The collection is owned by a member of the Al Thani ruling family of Qatar and when not on display in exhibitions around the world is kept under lock and key in London.

“The glass case was opened up as if it were a tin can while the alarm, if it worked at all, went off late,” said Vito Gagliardi, the head of Venice police.

“It is essential to understand what didn’t work properly in the security systems,” he said.

Police said photographs of the stolen items had been sent to the Al Thani family in London so that they can be identified and valued.

A spokesman for the Al Thani Collection in the UK said the Qatari owners were “still awaiting full details”.