2 weeks ago
18-Year-Old Finds Rs 98 Crore Gold Treasure in Belgian Sewer
An 18-year-old boy named Kobe was working at a summer job helping build a new sewer pipe in a town in Belgium.
While digging, he and his coworkers noticed something shiny in the ground.
At first, Kobe thought the items were just one-euro coins.
Then he saw a gold bar and realized it was much more than that.
They had found a hidden treasure worth about nine million euros — almost 98 crore rupees!
It was made of gold coins, nuggets, and numbered gold bars.
The treasure was tucked inside a bag that had been sealed inside an old brick wall under a big house.
The house was built in the 1800s for a brewery owner named Theophilus Van Assche.
Police took the treasure to a safe building in Brussels to figure out whose it is.
The workers could not keep it because it was so valuable, but Kobe hopes they might get a reward for their find.
An 18-year-old summer worker named Kobe unearthed gold bars, coins, and nuggets while excavating a sewer line in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium.
The find is estimated at around 9 million euros, or approximately Rs 98-99 crore.
The stash was hidden in a bag sealed inside a bricked-in cellar wall beneath the late 19th-century Brouwershuis villa, built for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche.
Authorities secured the site and transferred the treasure to a secure facility in Brussels while investigating its origins.
Under Belgian law, finders must wait at least five years for rightful owners to come forward; possible claimants include the contractors, CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, and Van Assche descendants.
- Who
- Kobe, an 18-year-old summer worker, and his colleagues at a construction site in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium.
- What
- They uncovered a deliberately hidden stash of gold bars, coins, and nuggets worth an estimated 9 million euros (about Rs 98-99 crore) while replacing an underground sewer line.
- Where
- Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, about 30 km northwest of Brussels, Belgium; the treasure was later moved to a secure facility in Brussels.
- When
- The discovery was made on a Tuesday during standard underground pipe replacement work; the exact date was not reported.
- Why
- The stash appears to have been deliberately concealed inside a bricked-in cellar wall beneath the 19th-century villa of brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche, and officials are investigating its origins to determine legal ownership.
Finders' Perspective
Claimants & Officials
Ownership of the treasure
Finders' Perspective
Kobe and his colleagues accept that such a large find had to be handed over, but they hope to receive some kind of finder's reward eventually.
Claimants & Officials
Authorities warn the case could spark a complex civil dispute, with potential claimants including the building contractors, the welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, and descendants of the Van Assche family.
Provenance of the gold
Finders' Perspective
The stash appears to have been deliberately concealed behind a wall, and Kobe described coming across it completely by surprise during routine work.
Claimants & Officials
The East Flanders prosecutor's office says investigators must first verify that the gold was not stolen or linked to crime before legal ownership can be determined.
Key facts
- Estimated value
- 9 million euros (approx. Rs 98-99 crore)
- Finder
- Kobe, an 18-year-old summer worker
- Location
- Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, about 30 km northwest of Brussels, Belgium
- Contents
- Gold coins, nuggets, and numbered bullion bars
- Hiding place
- Bag sealed in a bricked-in cellar wall beneath the late 19th-century villa
- Villa's original owner
- Brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche (brewing on site from 1899 to 1970)
- Current redeveloper
- Social welfare organisation CAW Oost-Vlaanderen
- Legal rule
- Belgian law requires waiting at least five years for rightful owners to claim the treasure
Quotes
Kobe
18‑year‑old summer construction worker
“"We suddenly saw something lying there. At first I thought it was €1 coins. Then we saw a gold bar. It turned out to be a bit more than we thought."”
NDTV
livemint.com
“"If it had been a few coins, maybe not. But maybe we’ll get some kind of finder's reward eventually."”
NDTV
Hanne Ollevier
East Flanders public prosecutor
“"Officials would first establish whether the bullion had been stolen or was connected to any criminal activity."”
livemint.com
“"Workers were laying drainage pipes when they stumbled across the gold."”
livemint.com
Sources
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