Masked thieves stole jewelry and watches worth over €1 million [1] from the Sant'Agostino auction house in Torino, Italy, this past weekend.
The heist highlights the vulnerability of high-value art and jewelry repositories to coordinated, professional attacks that can bypass security systems in minutes.
According to reports, the robbery occurred during the night of June 6-7, 2026 [4]. The perpetrators targeted the Casa d'Aste Sant'Agostino located on Corso Tassoni [2]. The gang smashed display windows to quickly access the precious items before fleeing the scene.
The operation was characterized by its extreme speed. The Carabinieri press office said the gang acted between 4:20 and 4:24 [3], a total duration of four minutes [2]. The thieves continued their operation even after the building's alarm had been triggered [3].
Law enforcement arrived shortly after the crime. The Carabinieri press office said the intervention of the carabinieri arrived nine minutes after the start of the hit [3]. Despite the rapid response, the suspects had already escaped with the loot.
Investigators believe the theft was the work of an organized group. A police spokesperson said it was a "colpo" by professionals [3]. The stolen items include a variety of jewelry and watches, with the total value estimated at over €1 million [1].
Authorities are currently reviewing security footage and forensic evidence to identify the masked individuals. The auction house has not yet released a detailed inventory of the specific pieces missing from its collection.
“"È stato un 'colpo' da professionisti"”
This incident underscores a trend of 'smash-and-grab' robberies targeting high-end boutiques and auction houses across Europe. By utilizing a narrow time window of less than five minutes, professional gangs can execute thefts before police response times—which in this case was nine minutes—become a deterrent, rendering traditional alarm systems insufficient on their own.
