Police officers escort a person for an identity check in Berlin, Germany. Annette Riedl/ AP

Gulf Today Report

More than 1,500 policemen carried out a series of searches in Berlin and detained three people suspected of involvement in a jewel heist at a museum, 18th-century jewels from a unique collection, in Dresden last year in November.

Police and prosecutors were investigating the Nov.25, 2019, theft of a large diamond brooch, a diamond epaulette and other treasures from the Saxony city's Green Vault Museum.

The sources said they were searching 18 apartments, garages and vehicles for the jewellery and other evidence including digital data, clothes and tools, mostly in the city's southern district of Neukoelln.

Police officers stand guard in front of an apartement building in Berlin, Germany. AP

Their target was “art treasures and possible evidence such as computer storage media, clothing and tools,” Dresden police and prosecutors said.

Thieves forced their way into Dresden's Gruenes Gewoelbe or Green Vault Museum, in November last year and got one of Europe's greatest collections of treasures away with at least three sets of early 18th century jewellery, including diamonds and rubies, officers said.

A total of 1,638 officers were taking part in the operation that could cause serious traffic disruptions through the day, it added.

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The Green Vault is one of the world’s oldest museums. It was established in 1723 and contains the treasury of Augustus the Strong of Saxony, comprising around 4,000 objects of gold, precious stones and other materials.

Shortly after the theft, authorities offered a 500,000-euro ($593,000) reward for information leading to the recovery of the jewels or the arrest of the thieves.

In March, prosecutors and police said they had determined that an Audi S6 used in the theft and later set alight in a Dresden garage was sold to an unidentified buyer in August.

They said they believe a young man who picked up the car from the seller in Magdeburg, another eastern German city, was connected to the break-in and released a sketch of a slim dark-haired man believed to be about 25 years old.

The car may have been repainted before the break-in, authorities said at the time, bolstering suspicions that the theft was planned well in advance.

Analyses by investigators, based in part on video footage, led them to conclude that at least seven people were involved.