The priceless treasures of the British Museum may have been melted and stolen for at least four years before artifacts were discovered | artworks | The British Museum
According to a report on the website of the Daily Mail on August 17th, an expert in art recovery said that the gold, gemstones, and glassware in the recently exposed large-scale theft of cultural relics at the British Museum may have been melted, re cut, or sent abroad.
According to reports, Christopher Marinello, CEO and lawyer of the International Art Recovery Organization, warned that it may be too late to recover these "priceless" artworks now. He said that criminals usually destroy stolen cultural relics to obtain "fast cash.".
Marinelo believes that these artworks were discovered stolen at least four years later than they were actually stolen, which may mean that it is too late to recover these "priceless treasures" now.
Marinelo said that "immature" criminals who steal artworks usually focus on "making quick money" and destroying artworks as soon as possible.
He pointed out, "They tend to melt the gold as soon as possible and re cut the gemstones."
Prior to his statement, the director of the British Museum had stated that they would "overcome all obstacles" to retrieve these stolen artifacts dating back to the 15th to 19th centuries BC.
Dick Ellis, an expert in art theft cases, claimed that police and museum officials refused to disclose photos or descriptions of the artifacts, indicating that investigators "may be planning actions" or "have intelligence about the whereabouts of the artifacts.".
He explained that under normal circumstances, when attempting to recover stolen antiques, officials hope to "maximize the exposure of these items" so that the public can report them upon discovery.
But Marinelo believes that officials did not provide detailed information on the stolen item out of embarrassment. He is now calling on museums to release a list of missing cultural relics.
According to reports, these cultural relics are believed to have been stolen for a "long time". They have not been publicly displayed recently because they are mainly used for research purposes, many of which are stored in storage rooms.