$4.3m Diamond Necklace Stolen In Brazen Daylight Vienna Museum Heist

$4.3m Diamond Necklace Stolen in Brazen Daylight Vienna Museum Heist Two unmasked thieves have stolen a diamond-encrusted necklace worth more than $4 million from a museum in Vienna, Austria, after smashing a glass display case with a hammer during a brazen daylight robbery. The incident occurred on Thursday at the Museum of Applied Arts MAK, where the historic platinum necklace was being displayed as part of an exhibition featuring jewellery by French luxury house Van Cleef & Arpels. According to Austrian police, the two men entered the museum posing as ordinary visitors before breaking the display case and grabbing the necklace. They were not wearing masks and were captured by surveillance cameras, prompting authorities to launch a manhunt. The stolen necklace is an extraordinary piece of royal jewellery, featuring 673 diamonds weighing more than 200 carats. It was made by Van Cleef & Arpels and once belonged to Queen Nazli of Egypt, who wore it in 1939 at the wedding of her daughter, Princess Fawzia, to Iran’s Crown Prince Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The necklace was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York in 2015 for approximately $4.3 million, highlighting its enormous financial and historical value.

No injuries were reported during the robbery, although witnesses were present when the thieves smashed the display case and escaped with the jewellery. Austrian authorities have deployed police officers, forensic teams and tracking dogs as the investigation continues. The theft has renewed concerns over security at major European museums following a series of high-profile robberies targeting valuable jewellery and cultural artefacts. Police are appealing for information that could help identify and locate the two suspects as the international search for the stolen necklace continues.