Antwerp (Brussels Morning Newspaper) -A house search in Antwerp recovered the Olympic medals that thieves took from former judoka Gella Vandecaveye. Law enforcement from East Flanders reported the discovery of the stolen Olympic medals.
As reported by VRT, law enforcement found the stolen Olympic medals that belonged to former judoka Gella Vandecaveye during their raids in Antwerp’s city centre, according to the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office. Sanchez recovered the stolen Atlanta silver and Sydney bronze Olympic medals from her vehicle when the thieves stole them from her car’s underground parking spot at Brussels-South railway station in 2023.
Two Olympic medals stolen from Gella Vandecaveye emerged on 2dehands.be website, forcing law enforcement to conduct an investigation, which resulted in their recovery. The authorities continue their efforts to return the medals to Vandecaveye as they conduct more investigations into the sale process.
Our editors contacted the seller yesterday, who says he “bought the medals honestly”.
Have thefts occurred in Hasselt before?
The recovery of Gella Vandecaveye’s Olympic medals happened in Antwerp, while Hasselt has faced multiple thefts of high-value objects. A private collector from Hasselt experienced the theft of his €50,000 collection of rare coins in 2018 before the items were discovered for sale on an online market. The police followed the stolen items to the Netherlands, where they made arrests. In 2021, local sports club trophies were stolen, and law enforcement discovered them at a pawnshop located in Limburg.
Secondhand platforms have observed rising numbers of stolen memorabilia being placed for sale. Authorities recovered stolen vintage bicycle collection items from 2dehands.be in 2022, which would allow them to make multiple arrests. Thieves target unique merchandise during robberies because digital signatures and customer tips on the Internet enable the successful identification of stolen goods. Law enforcement officials actively observe online marketplaces to stop illegal activities.
