100 Kg Coin Stolen from Berlin Museum, 4 Arrested
Three main suspects in the theft arrested are brothers. If found guilty, they would face jail terms of up to 10 years.
A giant commemorative gold coin, known as the “Big Maple Leaf”, valued at $4.3 million is stolen from the Berlin Museum. Police have not found a trace of the 100 kilogram Canadian coin since the elaborate late night heist in March 2017 from the Bode Museum, which is located close to German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s official residence. Four men have been arrested and the trial has begun recently.
Three main suspects in the theft arrested are brothers. If found guilty, they would face jail terms of up to 10 years. Police believe the pure gold treasure, with the value of one million Canadian dollars, “was either cut into small pieces or taken abroad”, said Berlin police.
A former museum security guard, 20-year-old Dennis W has also been arrested for his alleged involvement. He is believed to have acted as the inside man, giving the crucial information to the thieves.
The arrested brothers are members of the Remmo family with roots in Lebanon and are linked to many such organised crimes as reported by the German Media. The city’s police last year targeted the Remmo clan and seized 77 properties worth 9.3 million euros, charging that they were purchased with the proceeds of various crimes, which includes a bank robbery.
The theft has been detected by the security camera footage of the museum, which revealed three young men in dark hoodies are on their way to the museum. The camera also records their earlier trips, which they had made to find out the target in the museum.
They broke into the museum through a window and used a rope to lift the coin, which is 53 centimeters in diameter. The police believe the coin was probably damaged when the thieves dropped it twice while carrying it through railway tracks and crossing the Spree River, through the Monbijou Park on the opposite side of the riverbank, from where they took it away in a car. Formal investigations reveal that the accused might have allegedly split the gold coin and sold the pieces.
The “Big Maple Leaf” was minted in the year 2007 with a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II and is considered the world’s second-largest gold coin. It was a gift from an unidentified collector to the Bode Museum, which is known for its large exhibition of coins and medals. The museum also chronicles the human history forged in metal in the form of coins and medals.
