Two men steal high-value jewellery from Vienna museum

Two men stole an exhibition object believed to be a highly valuable piece of jewellery from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts, known as the MAK, on Thursday afternoon, ORF reported. The suspects smashed a glass display case and escaped with the item.

The men appeared to be ordinary visitors when they entered the museum at about 2 p.m., police spokeswoman Anna Gutt said. Several witnesses saw the theft, and investigators believe the suspects knew exactly which piece they wanted.

The precise value of the jewellery was not immediately known but was believed to be very high. The suspects escaped without being identified.

The State Criminal Police Office is investigating the case as theft involving force. Forensic work and the analysis of video recordings were still under way on Thursday evening. Numerous police officers were searching across Vienna’s city centre, and the Federal Criminal Police Office’s unit responsible for cultural property investigations had also been alerted.

The MAK is currently showing the exhibition “Glanzstücke”, which includes jewellery by Van Cleef and Arpels. The exhibition features about 500 objects, including more than 300 pieces by the jewellery company and more than 200 works from the MAK collection.

Anyone with information about the theft is asked to contact the State Criminal Police Office at 01-31310-38200.