Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A routine sewage project has led to a stunning discovery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, East Flanders, where 18-year-old student worker Kobe and his colleague unearthed a hidden gold hoard estimated to be worth 9 million euros. The pair discovered gold coins, nuggets and bullion bars concealed inside a cellar wall while digging into the building’s foundations earlier this week, according to Belgian media reports. Kobe initially mistook the coins for one-euro pieces before realising they had uncovered something far more valuable.
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For Kobe, the 18-year-old student working a summer job at the site, the discovery was almost impossible to believe.
“Our first reaction was actually disbelief, amazement,” he told Belgian public broadcaster VRT.
“At first I thought they were 1 euro coins. But then we also saw a gold nugget lying there. That’s when we realised it was something bigger.”
GOLD HIDDEN INSIDE CELLAR WALL
The hoard was discovered at a former brewery site on Van Langenhovestraat, about 30 kilometres north-west of Brussels. The property, reportedly built as a grand villa for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche in the late 19th century, is now owned by CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a welfare organisation that provides social support in Dendermonde.
The gold had reportedly been concealed inside a bag and sealed into a bricked-up section of the cellar wall. The stash included hundreds of gold coins, nuggets and numbered gold bars.
The workers soon realised the scale of the discovery and understood that keeping the gold for themselves was not an option. “There are so many coins and bars – it would be almost impossible,” site manager Mario told VRT.
“Besides, that would be theft.”
Kobe said the value of the discovery made it clear that keeping the gold was never a realistic option.
“9 million euros — you simply can’t keep that hidden,” he said.
The workers contacted police and informed the charity that owns the property. Authorities have since removed the gold and placed it at a secure location while they investigate where it came from and who might legally own it.
POLICE WARN TREASURE HUNTERS
Police have also warned curious treasure hunters not to turn up at the property looking for more gold. The site was left in chaos after the discovery, with authorities searching the area before moving the hoard to a secure location.
Police have asked people to stay away from the construction site while the investigation continues. Prosecutors in East Flanders are also checking whether the gold was stolen or linked to any other crime.
What investigators find could ultimately decide who is legally entitled to the 9 million euros fortune.
WHO WILL GET THE €9 MILLION?
The discovery has opened up a complicated question over who gets to keep the treasure. CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, the construction workers and potentially descendants of the Van Assche family could all have an interest in the case, depending on what investigators establish about the origin and ownership of the gold.
CAW director Geert Hillaert said the organisation was stunned by the discovery and expressed hope that, if the charity eventually receives some of the money, it could be used to help people in need. He pointed to the “enormous need we experience daily” in the community.
Under Belgian law, a rightful owner has five years to come forward and claim a hidden hoard. If nobody successfully establishes ownership, civil law can allow the treasure to be divided between the person who discovered it and the owner of the property where it was found. That rule would apply only if authorities determine that the gold is not connected to criminal activity.
The history of the property has added another layer of intrigue to the discovery.
The villa was originally associated with Theophilus Van Assche, a wealthy brewery owner from the area. Former Dendermonde mayor Piet Buyse told Belgian media that the family’s wealth had “certainly stayed in the family” and suggested it would not be surprising if they had invested some of it in gold and hidden it.
But authorities have yet to establish when the treasure was placed inside the wall, who hid it or why it was concealed there.
For now, the workers who stumbled upon the fortune will have to wait.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
