Stories about international gangs of thieves often involve heists of art, jewels, or maybe gold. In this case: library books. Police have made arrests in what they describe as a sophisticated operation that has swiped more than 170 rare Russian books from libraries across Europe over the last two years, reports the Guardian. The primary target were first and early editions of works by Alexander Pushkin, per the New York Times. The so-called "Pushkin gang" would often pose as well-meaning researchers and be given access to the valuable collections, according to the UK Times.
Often, they would take photos of the covers and bindings and create meticulous forgeries that would be swapped for the originals on subsequent visits. Other times, they would break in when the libraries were closed to steal the works, say police. Late last month, police arrested nine Georgians suspected of running the operation, and other suspects have been taken into custody in France, Estonia, and Lithuania.
As for the books, some may be gone for good, having been sold on the black market in Russia and elsewhere. However, authorities also recovered books when making arrests and were still assessing what they had. Such volumes can go for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars apiece, notes the Times. Hardest hit was the University of Warsaw library, which lost nearly 80 books to the thieves. (More weird crimes stories.)
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