[MSN] Gold bullion worth Y200 mil stolen from Gifu museum

[Museum Security Network Mailing list]

Gold bullion worth Y200 mil stolen from Gifu museum

Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 17:15 EST

GIFU — Four men snatched a large block of gold bullion claimed to be worth 200 million yen Sunday while it was on display at an artworks museum in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. Police said the theft occurred at 12:45 p.m. Three of the four men allegedly took the gold, which the museum's website says weighs some 100 kilograms, from its display area on the second floor.

They pushed over a 59-year-old female clerk who saw them and drove off in a white station wagon with another man who was on the first floor apparently keeping watch, they said. All four men wore masks and sunglasses, police said. The museum allows visitors to freely touch the gold, according to the facility's website. A private company runs both the museum and sightseeing trips inside the cave.

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