Police name Serbian suspects in Tefaf jewellery heist

The Dutch police have published the names of the five Serbian people suspected of robbing the Tefaf art fair in Maastricht in 2022. The gang got away with roughly €40 million in goods, according to Europol.

The suspects, four men and one woman, are Aleksandar Cenic (50), Aleksandar Stojiljkovic (50), Dusko Dimitrijevic (50), Bratislav Stojanovic (41) and Ninoslava Jovic (41). Police believe they are in the Serbian city of Niš or near Belgrade.

The public prosecution service (OM) is offering €20,000 for tip-offs leading to the arrest of any member of the group, who have all been placed on Europol’s most wanted list and the Dutch national wanted list, the OM said on Thursday.

The Serbian government is refusing extradition requests, which is standard practice for its own citizens. Dutch police said they hope that naming them will lead to tips about their movements, so they can be traced and caught if they travel abroad.

Four of the thieves went into the art fair on June 28, 2022, smartly dressed and wearing caps and glasses to partially conceal their identities. Police later identified a woman as a fifth suspect.

They were reportedly armed with what looked like guns, and were seen smashing glass cabinets with sledgehammers and grabbing jewellery. Two of the men held bystanders back with their weapons, and the gang fled on electric scooters.

None were caught in the immediate aftermath. Some of the stolen diamonds have since been recovered in Hong Kong, Israel and Botswana.

The fair’s insurer is also offering a reward of €500,000, broadcaster NOS reported.