₹38 crore diamond necklace stolen from Vienna museum

The necklace, featuring 673 diamonds weighing 200 carats, was part of an ongoing exhibition featuring more than 300 works by Van Cleef & Arpels

A historic platinum and diamond necklace worth $4 million (approx ₹38.17 crore), designed for Egypt’s royal family, was stolen from Vienna’s Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), sparking a police manhunt.

A blue panel covers the area where a display case was smashed and a Van Cleef and Arpels necklace was stolen at Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), in Vienna, Austria, on August 28, 2026. Two men on August 27, 2026 bought tickets to enter Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) before smashing a display case, grabbing a 200-carat platinum and diamond necklace and walking away, police said on August 28. Austrian media said the Van Cleef and Arpels necklace, with 673 precious stones, was worth several million dollars. It is the latest in a series of high-profile heists to hit European museums. (Photo by Jeremy AUDOUARD / AFP) (AFP)

Officials said two suspects smashed a display case on Thursday afternoon and escaped on foot. The necklace, featuring 673 diamonds weighing 200 carats, was part of an ongoing exhibition featuring more than 300 works by the French designers Van Cleef & Arpels.

Vienna police released security-camera photos of the unmasked suspects and appealed to the public for information.

The theft is Vienna’s most valuable art heist since Benvenuto Cellini’s gold-and-enamel Saliera was stolen in 2003. The latest theft has renewed concerns over museum security, following major jewellery and artefact thefts in Paris and Spain.