Just less than a year ago, thieves made off with almost a billion euros’ worth of historical jewellery from the Green Vault in Dresden. The case took a new turn this week after police arrested three suspects - but there is apparently still no trace of the treasures. 

Berlin police make three arrests in connection to jewellery heist

In what could be a major breakthrough in a spectacular criminal case, police in Berlin announced on Tuesday morning that they had made three arrests in connection with the jewellery heist that took place in Dresden almost a year ago. 

The suspects stand accused of serious gang theft and two counts of arson, the Dresden public prosecutor confirmed. They will be brought before the investigating judge before the end of the day. They are said to be German citizens. Prosecutors indicated they were confident of the suspects’ involvement. 

Thieves made away with three sets of priceless jewellery

On November 25, 2019, unknown perpetrators managed to break through a window and gain access to the Green Vault (Grünes Gewölbe), a famous museum in Dresden’s royal palace. 

Within minutes they stole three priceless sets of 18th-century jewellery, including gold, diamonds, rubies, and the famous 49-carat Dresden White Diamond. They then fled in a car that they later torched. Bild reported at the time that the jewels were worth up to one billion euros. 

Major operation underway in Germany to track down thieves

According to police and the public prosecutor, more than 1.600 police officers are currently involved in the large-scale operation to recover the treasures and track down the perpetrators. Tuesday morning’s raids involved searches on 18 properties in the Berlin district of Neukölln, including 10 apartments, garages and vehicles.

Officers were searching for the stolen art treasures and possible evidence such as storage media, clothing and tools, Saxony police said on Twitter. So far, however, none of the missing jewels have been found. 

Police said the ongoing operation was likely to cause traffic disruption throughout the day in Berlin. In addition to emergency forces from Saxony, special forces from the federal government and the states of Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, Brandenburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia are also involved in the investigation.

Thumb image credit: © Polizei Sachsen