2019-01-11 Fri

Back in 2017, a $1 million denomination Canadian 100 kg .99999 fine gold coin was stolen overnight by thieves from the Bode Museum in Berlin. Following an investigation, three suspects were arrested. German authorities released the surveillance footage of the three thieves on 27th March. The authorities were successful in catching them because of the DNA left at the scene of the crime.

The chief suspects who are put on trial, all in their early 20s, are two brothers and a cousin from a Lebanese Berlin family accused of organised crime links. The men are on trial in a youth court and are not in detention. If found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in jail! The verdict is expected to come on 28 March.

However sadly, the detectives have not recovered the coin, and believe it has been either cut into pieces or melted down and sold. Minted by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007, this stolen coin was one of just five such coins minted by Canada and had been donated to the museum by an anonymous collector.

Image Courtesy: https://www.bbc.com/news/