Thieves steal famed Indian jewels from Venice exhibit

The stolen jewels were considered to be of lesser value than some of the highlights of the Al Thani Collection, which includes gems dating from the time of the Mughal Empire.

But police said they were made of gold, platinum and diamonds and news reports estimated their value in the millions of euros.

Venice police said on Wednesday the security alarm went off at around 10 AM (local time) at Venice's Doge's Palace and police immediately sealed the area. But by then, the thieves had already made their escape from the museum, known as the Palazzo Ducale and one of Venice's top tourist destinations on the edge of St Mark's Square.

Venice police chief Vito Gagliardi told the ANSA news agency the thieves managed to delay the triggering of the alarm system, allowing them to escape.

The Al Thani Collection is a renowned collection of 270 pieces of Indian and Indian-inspired jewelry and precious stones, spanning 400 years from the Mughal period to the present and assembled by Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani.

Forbe's Magazine has said "there is no comparable collection on the planet."

The Venice exhibit, "Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas," was due to close on Wednesday, the latest stop in a travelling exhibit that has brought the collection to Paris' Grand Palais, London's Victoria and Albert Museum, New York's Metropolitan and the Miho Museum near Kyoto, Japan.

A spokesman for the collection, John Maxse, said it was in regular contact with Italian authorities and Venice's Foundation of Civic Museums, which runs the Doge's Palace.

In a statement the foundation said the brooch and earrings stolen were "contemporary pieces and consequently are of less historical value than other items in the collection."

Venice police noted that since the items are so unique, they will be nearly impossible to sell on the market.