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$ BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Thieves emptied more than 100 vaults at a dia-—mond trading center in what officials said might be the largest theft ever in Antwerp, the gem trading capital of the . world.'Authorities were still trying Tuesday to determine the amount of the loss from the cellar of a building that houses dozens of gem trading companies in a ' city that has been a center of the trade in , precious stones since the 16th century. l\ The thieves bypassed heavy security tosteal the diamonds from 123 of 160 vaults in the cellar of the Antwerp Diamond Center over the weekend. The loss was disclosed Monday.Previously, the largest theft on record in Antwerp occurred in 1994, when thieves cleaned out five vaults in the DiamondjCenter, for a loss of' $4.55 million. Tw6 Israelis and another man from Brazil were convicted1 in that theft but their case is on appeal.The total in the weekend burglary was likely to be much larger, said YouriSteverlynck, a spokesman for the High Diamond Councila which regulates the gem trade.“We are certainly talking about many millions,” Steverlynck said.The Diamond Center, in the heart of Antwerp’s historic gem district, has extremely heavy security including surveillance cameras and round-the-clock guards for the vaults. There was no sign of forced entry in the weekend break-in so authorities suspect an inside job.
Newspaper Details
Twin Falls Times News
Twin Falls, Idaho, US
Wed, Feb 19, 2003
Page 24
Full Page
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University O.
TX, USA 28 Nov 2023
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