GRENOBLE (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 Monday. The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Faberge 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. We have the impression we're dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork," the official said. 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. © 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse
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Thursday, April 18, 2013
One million euro stolen gold egg recovered near French-Swiss border during a routine roadblock
GRENOBLE (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 Monday. The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Faberge 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. We have the impression we're dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork," the official said. 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. © 1994-2013 Agence France-Presse
More Information: http://artdaily.com/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=61992#.UXBDOsq7f5A[/url]
Copyright © artdaily.org
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