Belgium: Workers digging to install sewer pipes inside a house made an extraordinary discovery when they found a hidden treasure inside a basement wall. Gold bars and a large number of coins were recovered from the wall of a house in East Flanders. The treasure is estimated to be worth around €9 million, or nearly ₹99 crore.
The workers initially found a few coins and thought they were ordinary pieces. But their discovery took a dramatic turn when a gold bar was found inside the wall. Realising that they had uncovered something much more valuable, they immediately informed the police.
Coins Found Inside the Wall, Then Came the Gold Bar
The workers were digging through the basement while installing sewer pipes when they noticed several coins inside the wall. Kobe, 18, who was working at the site, said that at first he thought the coins were ordinary one-euro coins. But when the excavation continued and a gold bar appeared, everyone realised that the discovery was far more significant than they had initially thought.
The workers decided not to keep the treasure and instead contacted the police. Site manager Mario said that it would not have been possible to keep such a large quantity of gold with them. He said hiding it would have amounted to theft, which is why the police were informed immediately.
Police searched the property and secured the recovered gold at a safe location. Authorities have also appealed to people not to visit the construction site in an attempt to search for more treasure.
18-Year-Old Kobe Recalls the Unexpected Discovery
Kobe was working on the construction project during his summer vacation to earn some extra money. Speaking to Belgian public broadcaster VRT, he said the coins initially appeared ordinary to him. Everything changed when the gold bar was uncovered. That was when the workers realised that whatever had been hidden inside the wall could be worth a huge amount of money. Investigators are now trying to determine who originally owned the treasure and when it was hidden there.
Belgium Hidden Gold Treasure Raises Question of Ownership
The biggest question surrounding the Belgium hidden gold treasure is who has the legal right to claim it. The house where the gold was discovered is currently owned by a charity organisation. The organisation helps people in need in the city of Dendermonde, which has a population of around 47,000.
The organisation’s director, Gert Hilliart, said he was shocked when he heard about the discovery. He expressed hope that if the treasure legally belongs to the organisation, the money could eventually be used to support people in need and fund social projects. For now, police are investigating the discovery and trying to establish who owned the gold and why it was hidden inside the wall. In an unusual development, the police have also changed the profile picture on their Facebook account to an image of one of the gold coins.
Original Owner Has Five Years to Come Forward
Under Belgian law, the original owner of the treasure has five years, or 1,823 days, to come forward and make a valid claim. Investigators have so far been unable to determine who the gold belonged to. If no legitimate owner appears within five years and authorities establish that the treasure is not connected to any crime, the law could allow it to be divided between the workers who discovered it and the owner of the property.
