One million euro stolen gold egg recovered near French-Swiss border during a routine roadblock

GRENOBLE (AFP).- A bejewelled golden egg stolen four years ago in Geneva and worth an estimated one million euros ($1.3 million) has been recovered by French police near the Swiss border, police said Monday.

The precious egg, made in the style of the famous Faberge pieces, was discovered on Thursday in a “suspect” BMW pulled over during a routine roadblock near the Swiss border, driven by two Belarusian men who were promptly arrested.

A third Belarusian, a Swiss resident, trailing in a Jaguar was pulled over and arrested a short while later, according to a police statement.

Under questioning the three men unconvincingly claimed they had found the jewelled work of art lying on the ground, or had bought it cheaply in a flea-market, a French police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

This handout picture released by French police shows a jewelled egg Faberge estimated between 800.000 and 1 million euros, found by the police near the Franco-Swiss border in the hands of three Belarusians, four years after its theft in Geneva. The artwork is “carved in more than a kilo of gold and has hundreds of gemstones,” the statement said. Approximately 25cm high and 19cm wide, it was stolen in 2009 during a burglary to the detriment of an import-export Kuwaiti based in Geneva. AFP PHOTO / POLICE NATIONALE.

“They’re not talking much. We have the impression we’re dealing with a team tasked with transporting and negotiating the sale of the artwork,” the official said.

The three, aged between 24 and 38, were charged with receiving stolen goods and possessing a weapon.

They were already sought in France and Switzerland for several burglaries.

The egg, containing more than a kilogramme of gold and boasting hundreds of gems, was burgled in 2009 from a Kuwait import-export firm based in Geneva.

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