3 jailed for Hong Kong's priciest art heist, after selling billion
Three burglars who carried out a record-breaking US$637 million art heist in Hong Kong but remained oblivious to the value of their historic haul were jailed on Friday, local media reported.
Subscribe to HKFP's twice-weekly newsletter for a concise round-up of local news and our best coverage. Unsubscribe at any time - we will not pass on your data to third parties.
Processing… Success! You're on the list. Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.Hong Kong’s art community was rocked by the theft that included a two-metre tall scroll containing a 1929 Politburo report written by Mao Zedong valued at hundreds of millions of dollars – but was sold to an amateur collector for just HK$200 (US$25).
When police recovered the parchment a month after it was stolen, they discovered it had been cut in half to make it easier to store by the collector, who also did not realise it was genuine.
A calligraphy letter and handwritten poem by Mao remain missing, as do dozens of sets of highly prized Chinese stamps, the Post reported.
A collector who received some of the goods alerted the police once he realised the items were stolen.
Related articles
Pope trip to Luxembourg, Belgium confirmed for September, 2 weeks after challenging Asia visit
ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has added a stop in Luxembourg to a trip to Belgium in September, a three-d2024-05-21Trump invokes Christian rhetoric to bolster evangelical support
As Donald Trump increasingly infuses his campaign with Christian trappings while coasting to a third2024-05-21Man charged in random attack on Steve Buscemi in NYC
NEW YORK (AP) — A man wanted in connection with the random attack on actor Steve Buscemi on a New Yo2024-05-21Verstappen matches Senna's record of 8 straight pole positions
IMOLA, Italy (AP) — On a weekend commemorating Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen matched the late Brazili2024-05-21Ship that caused Baltimore bridge collapse has been refloated
BALTIMORE (AP) — The container ship that caused the deadly collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key2024-05-21Swiatek dominates to earn her 3rd Italian Open title and heads to French Open as the big favorite
ROME (AP) — If Iga Swiatek can keep up her form, it’s hard to imagine anyone preventing her from win2024-05-21
atest comment