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Feb 2024
12m 12s

How do you track down stolen art?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

In this episode we’re stepping into the world of art theft. According to the CIA it’s one of the top criminal enterprises in the world.

A case was in the headlines recently after two British brothers admitted to raiding a museum in Switzerland and making off with iconic Chinese Ming dynasty era artefacts worth millions. They then fled abroad to try and shift the pieces. But were later caught. The BBC’s Thomas Mackintosh walks us through how the police tracked them down.

The art itself however can be more tricky to recover, as it’s often hidden or traded by criminal gangs. Arthur Brand, a Dutch art detective, has recovered hundreds of stolen artworks, including a Van Gogh. He tells us how.

Plus, we hear reaction from Ivory Coast and Nigeria football fans following Sunday’s AFCON final.

Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Alex Rhodes Producers: Imogen James and Mora Morrison Editors: Verity Wilde and Simon Peeks

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