The bowl, worth 1.6 billion VND, was just stolen.

A store employee discovered the gold bowl was missing from display around noon on April 11 (Japan time) at a gold exhibition on the eighth floor of the Nihombashi branch of the Takashimaya department store and notified the police about 15 minutes later, according to Kyodo News.

Reportedly, the valuable item was displayed in a transparent plastic box without a lock.

CCTV footage shows a man in his 20s or 30s taking the gold bowl and putting it into his backpack at around 11:40 AM on April 11 (Japan time). According to police, the man was wearing glasses and a sweatshirt.

Police are still searching for the perpetrator, according to Kyodo News.

World - A bowl worth 1.6 billion VND has just been stolen.

Previously, the theft of a toilet made of 103 kg of gold also caused a public uproar.

The £4.8 million (144.4 billion VND) toilet is a work of art titled "America," created by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan from 103 kg of gold, as a satire on excessive wealth.

The toilet disappeared from Blenheim Palace (Oxfordshire, southeast England) in September 2019. Prior to that, it was fully functional and thousands of people lined up to try it out.

Thames Valley police said the gang, traveling in two vehicles, broke into Blenheim Palace and dismantled toilets before 5 a.m. on September 14, 2019 (local time), according to Reuters .

At Oxford court on April 2nd, suspect James Sheen (39 years old) pleaded guilty to theft, transporting stolen property, and conspiracy to reoffend.

The suspect, who previously lived in Northamptonshire, is currently serving a 17-year prison sentence for a series of burglaries, including ATM theft. Sheen also stole plows worth £400,000 and valuable prizes from the National Racing Museum in Newmarket, Sufford, England.

Three other men pleaded not guilty in connection with the theft, with suspect Michael Jones (38) charged with theft. The other two defendants, Frederick Does (35) and Bora Guccuk (40), were both charged with conspiracy to buy and sell stolen property.

They are expected to appear in court on February 24, 2025, and the trial is scheduled to last 4-6 weeks. The whereabouts of the golden toilet remain unclear, with some suggesting it may have been melted down or that the theft was staged by the artist. Artist Cattelan maintains he does not know where the toilet is.

Minh Hoa (compiled from Thanh Nien and Vietnam Law newspapers)

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