The Bizarre Theft Of Rs 41.8 Crore Gold Toilet – What’s The Mystery Behind The Daring Heist? News24 –

Thieves stole a golden toilet worth £4.8 million (approximately 41.8 crore Indian rupees) in just five minutes from Blenheim Palace. The court called the theft an “audacious raid” while hearing the case. The toilet was stolen on September 14, 2019, after five thieves made their way inside the palace carrying sledgehammers.

CCTV video of the incident also widely circulated, which shows that a group of thieves in a white car carrying sledgehammers entered inside the palace and escaped with an 18-carat gold toilet. The fully functional toilet is part of the exhibition, and after the theft, it was never recovered. It was believed that it was cut off and sold in the market.

It weighed just over 215 pounds (98 kilograms) and was insured for 4.8 million pounds ($6 million). In Indian currency, it is more than Rs 41.8 crore. Attorney Julian Christopher said in a statement in Oxford Crown Court that it was an “audacious raid.”

One of the defendants, Michael Jones, cased the palace twice in the weeks leading up to the theft — once before the toilet went on display at Blenheim Palace and up close and personal once it was installed and fully functional as an exhibit, Christopher said.

Visitors to the exhibition could book a three-minute appointment to use the toilet, according to the Associated press. Both times, Jones took photos of the window that was later smashed to break into the palace. The second time he also took photos from inside the bathroom, including a photo of the lock on the toilet door.

“There can be no doubt that he was carrying out reconnaissance for the burglary that was to take place that night,” Christopher said. “That would be enough to make him guilty of count one of burglary.”

But Jones was also probably among the group of five men who crashed through the wooden gates of the palace before dawn the next morning in two stolen vehicles, Christopher said. They tore across a field in an Isuzu truck and VW Golf and pulled up to the front steps, where they smashed the window Jones had photographed.

They made quick work of breaking down the toilet door and removing the golden throne from the plumbing, leaving water gushing from the pipes that caused considerable damage to the 18th-century building, a UNESCO World Heritage site filled with valuable art and furniture that draws thousands of visitors each year.

Jones was in cahoots with James Sheen, a builder he worked for who was part of both the burglary and the effort to sell the gold, Christopher said. Sheen, 40, previously pleaded guilty to burglary, conspiracy and transferring criminal property.

Sheen then worked to broker a deal with Fred Doe and Bora Guccuk to cash in on the haul. In a series of text messages, he referred to the loot as a “car,” but Christopher said he was actually talking about the gold.

“I’ll link up with ya, I got something right up your path,” Sheen told Doe in one message.
“I can sell that car for you in two seconds … so come and see me tomorrow,” Doe said in a reply. Doe, 36, and Guccuk, 41, are charged with one count of conspiracy to transfer criminal property. All the defendants have pleaded not guilty, reported AP.