.DE!
Jewel Thieves Pull Off 'Impossible' Heist: Only the robbers know how many stones were stolen, yet local newspapers are already calling it the biggest heist ever in the diamond-cutting capital of the world.
Thieves cleared out 123 of the 160 vaults in the maximum-security cellars of Antwerp's Diamond Center over the weekend, but the robbery was only discovered Monday.
Tuesday, police were still grappling to quantify the loss. But a decade ago, when only five vaults were robbed in the cellar where cutters and dealers traditionally store their wares, the heist was estimated at 4.25 million euros (US$4.55 million).
"We should not extrapolate but it is sure that the total will be much larger now," said Youri Steverlynck, a spokesman for the city's High Diamond Council. "We are certainly talking about many millions."