Police dismantle group specializing in theft of rare books in Brazil

A Brazilian Federal Police carried out an operation on Tuesday to combat the theft and subsequent sale of rare books and sacred images of the country's heritage, announced the authority, in a statement.

According to the Federal Police, five search and seizure warrants were completed in houses and shops located in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Diadema, also in the state of São Paulo.

“ The steps carried out later identified possible recipients and traders of stolen objects, as well as indications of an employee's attempt to co-opt to facilitate the criminal group's access to the collection of the Real Portuguese Cabinet, in Rio de Janeiro ", can be read in the statement of that police force, which highlights that Operation Hidden Page was a follow-up to another initiative, entitled Operation Three Papers.

For his part, the president of the Real Portuguese Reading Office, Francisco Gomes da Costa, said in a statement that he had received “with surprise” news of attempts to steal rare works from that institution.

“ In light of the information provided by the press, we highlight that we do not identify theft of works of our collection, as well as we do not know any attempt to co-opt employees of the Real Portuguese Reading Office ", added the entity.

In the same statement, the president of the Royal Portuguese Reading Office stated that they have “adopted preventive measures, including new visiting rules and strengthening internal security procedures.”.

According to the Federal Police, the searches “were aimed at locating and recovering rare books, sacred images and other cultural goods of illicit origin, as well as apprehending documents, acquisition and marketing records, payment certificates, mobile devices, computers and other evidence”.

The persons targeted may have to answer “for the crimes of reception, attempted theft qualified by the contest of persons and criminal association, without prejudice to other crimes that will be identified”.

According to the newspaper The State of São Paulo, among the targets of the operation was the oldest bookstore in the city, which has worked with rare books since 1949 and which, questioned by the newspaper, has not spoken.