A huge collection of nearly 500 ancient Roman and Celtic gold coins worth up to EUR 3 million have been stolen in a raid on a museum in Germany.
Police say 483 coins were taken in the burglary at the Kelten and Roemer (Celtic and Roman) Museum in the middle of the night between 21st and 22nd November.
Investigators are studying CCTV footage from the museum in the town of Manching, in the district of Pfaffenhofen, Bavaria, southern Germany, in the hope of catching the crooks.
The golden hoard – more than 2,000 years old – is the largest Celtic gold find of the last century, discovered 23 years ago in 1999.
They are reportedly worth between EUR 2 and 3 million.
German media report that the museum alarm system did not go off and there was a major power outage in the area but it is currently unclear if the two incidents are connected.
Newsflash obtained a statement from the Bavarian Police on Tuesday, 22nd November, saying: “Unknown perpetrators broke into the Celtic Roman Museum in Manching.
“The perpetrators gained access to the exhibition room and deliberately broke open a display case with 483 gold coins.
“The coins were discovered in 1999 during excavations on the site of the Manching oppidum and can be dated to around 100 BC.
“The artefacts, weighing around four kilograms in total, are the largest Celtic gold find of the 20th century.
“The Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (BLKA) has taken over the further investigations under the direction of the public prosecutor’s office in Ingolstadt.
“Further information on the specific course of events cannot be given at this time for reasons of investigation tactics.”
German police have called for witnesses to come forward. They are asking that anyone who noticed any suspicious people near the museum at night contact them.
The investigation is ongoing.
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Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
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