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Thieves steal precious Indian Al Thani jewels from Venice palace

The thieves grabbed a golden, jeweled brooch and a pair of earrings Wednesday, and escaped by blending in with the crowd, according to reports.
Image: Jewels from the exhibit, \"Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas\" on display at the Doge's Palace
Jewels from the exhibit, "Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas" on display at the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy on Jan. 3, 2018.Andrea Merola / EPA
/ Source: The Associated Press

ROME — Thieves have stolen precious Indian jewels from the famed Al Thani Collection that were on exhibit at Venice's Doge's Palace.

News reports say the thieves grabbed a golden, jeweled brooch and a pair of earrings Wednesday and escaped by blending in with the crowd and delaying the triggering of the alarm.

Image: Jewels from the exhibit, "Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas" on display at the Doge's Palace
Jewels from the exhibit, "Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas" on display at the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy on Jan. 3, 2018.Andrea Merola / EPA

The exhibit, "Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajas," was due to close Wednesday at the Palazzo Ducale, one of Venice's top museums on the edge of St. Mark's Square.

The Al Thani Collection is a renowned traveling exhibition of Indian and Indian-inspired jewelry and precious stones assembled by Qatar's Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani.

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Venice police chief Vito Gagliardi tells the ANSA news agency the thieves were technologically adept and able to delay the alarm system.