Cops bust rare Galileo, Newton book thieves

Police in the UK have arrested a dozen gang members and recovered a haul of priceless rare books that have been buried under a Romanian garage for three years. The books were stolen in an Ocean’s 11-type heist from a UK warehouse.

The haul of books includes priceless first editions from Galileo and Isaac Newton. The books were recovered when the cops, using sledgehammers, smashed through the concrete floor of the garage on a property in an obscure town in rural Romania.

The gang had stolen the books from a secure warehouse in the UK by climbing a 15m wall, getting onto the roof, cutting through glass skylights, then abseiling in and out of the building, all the while avoiding security motion sensors and CCTV, before smuggling the books out of the country. The British media dubbed the gang as the UK version of Ocean's 11.

The gang had raided various warehouses using the same methods, but usually targeted high-value electronic goods. No-one knows why the books were stolen or what they intended to do with them. Selling a priceless Galileo or Newton first edition on the open market would be virtually impossible.

Despite their meticulous planning, and military-style operation, the gang was undone when one member left a used drink can on the roof, from which police accessed DNA, enabling them to trace one of the villains, and then collar the rest of the crew.