ET Bureau|
Aug 25, 2017
Recently, two Chinese nationals ran out of luck after they were caught for replacing diamond jewellery worth Rs 34 lakh with fake ones at an expo in Mumbai. The ingenuity of the crime draws comparisons with another bold robbery in 2003 — the Antwerp diamond heist, also known as the ‘heist of the century’ — where nearly $100 million worth of diamonds were stolen.
When
The burglary occurred the weekend of February 15-16, 2003.
Scene of crime
An Italian group of thieves targeted the The School of Turin at the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, the largest building in Antwerp, Belgium’s diamond district. The Centre housed hundreds of diamond traders and the vault was two-storeys underground. The three-block diamond district is said to have tight security with patrol around the clock. The vault itself has 10 layers of security, Doppler radar, infra-red heat detectors, a seismic sensor, a magnetic field ..
Antwerp World Diamond Centre
The suspects
An Italian group of thieves targeted the The School of Turin at the Antwerp World Diamond Centre, the largest building in Antwerp, Belgium’s diamond district. The Centre housed hundreds of diamond traders and the vault was two-storeys underground. The three-block diamond district is said to have tight security with patrol around the clock. The vault itself has 10 layers of security, Doppler radar, infra-red heat detectors, a seismic sensor, a magnetic field ..
Antwerp World Diamond Centre
The suspects
Leonardo Notarbartolo, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years based on circumstantial evidence. Notarbartolo, who was a tenant of the Diamond Centre, was found guilty of orchestrating the heist. Three other Italians — Elio D’Onorio, Ferdinando Finotto and Pietro Tavano — were sentenced to five years each. The fifth member was never caught.
The Discovery
The robbery occurred over the weekend and close to 109 safe deposit boxes were looted. The theftwas only discovered on Monday, after the traders came back to work.
Case reconstruction
Based on evidence found by the police and Notarbartolo’s statement years later, this is how the diamond heist was carried out:
Friday evening: The vault doors were closed at 7 pm.
The Discovery
The robbery occurred over the weekend and close to 109 safe deposit boxes were looted. The theftwas only discovered on Monday, after the traders came back to work.
Case reconstruction
Based on evidence found by the police and Notarbartolo’s statement years later, this is how the diamond heist was carried out:
Friday evening: The vault doors were closed at 7 pm.
Saturday night , post-12 midnight It is suspected that Notarbartolo waited a little way away while four men entered the Centre through a buildings behind it. They disabled the heat-sensing infrared director and covered security cameras with plastic bags. They entered the vault door, and, using a slab of aluminium, taped the door’s magnetic plates side by side to the antechamber wall. Thus, no alarm went off. They found a key to the vault, which was in a tiny metal box next to the door. The police were never able to figure out how the robbers cracked the access code of the vault, but, in an interview, Notarbartolo said a tiny camera was used to record the combination when the vault was opened one morning. Upon cracking the code, they used the key to open the vault door. The team, ensuring that they don’t set off any heat or light sensors, walked into the room and set the security system’s sensors out of loop. They still had to open the safe deposit boxes. The police suspected that the robbers had a special drill, made of common machine parts. The burglars opened all the boxes and threw away what they couldn’t carry.
Sunday morning, 5.30 am After opening 109 boxes, the robbers determined they had enough. Before leaving, they allegedly stole the videotapes from the Centre’s office. They made their escape through an exit that opened onto a street a little away. Monday morning Traders discovered the missing diamonds.
Later on Monday A grocer, August Van Champ, found a pile of junk in the underbush of his land. He reported it to police, who were keen to take charge of the place after Van Champ told them about the Antwerp Diamond Centre envelopes in the trash. The police tracked payment stubs and other evidence that pointed towards Notarbartolo. The hasty disposal of the tiny trash bag was the undoing of the perfect crime.
Verdict
The police reportedly found some diamonds in Notarbartolo’s apartment, among other circumstantial evidence like cellphone records. No fingerprints were found in the vault. Notarbartolo got 10 years for orchestrating the theft, while the three of the other four got five years each. A few years later, while in jail, Notarbartolo said the entire thing was an insurance fraud masterminded by a Jewish dealer, who contacted the Italian group for the job, and that the actual steal was closer to $20 million. Since the vault itself was uninsured, the insurance fraud theory never got many takers.
Sunday morning, 5.30 am After opening 109 boxes, the robbers determined they had enough. Before leaving, they allegedly stole the videotapes from the Centre’s office. They made their escape through an exit that opened onto a street a little away. Monday morning Traders discovered the missing diamonds.
Later on Monday A grocer, August Van Champ, found a pile of junk in the underbush of his land. He reported it to police, who were keen to take charge of the place after Van Champ told them about the Antwerp Diamond Centre envelopes in the trash. The police tracked payment stubs and other evidence that pointed towards Notarbartolo. The hasty disposal of the tiny trash bag was the undoing of the perfect crime.
Verdict
The police reportedly found some diamonds in Notarbartolo’s apartment, among other circumstantial evidence like cellphone records. No fingerprints were found in the vault. Notarbartolo got 10 years for orchestrating the theft, while the three of the other four got five years each. A few years later, while in jail, Notarbartolo said the entire thing was an insurance fraud masterminded by a Jewish dealer, who contacted the Italian group for the job, and that the actual steal was closer to $20 million. Since the vault itself was uninsured, the insurance fraud theory never got many takers.
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