MADRID — Nearly a year after five works by artist Francis Bacon worth an estimated $27.8 million were stolen from an apartment in Madrid, seven people have been arrested, police said.
Police tracked down the suspects using photos that had been made of the paintings and distributed, police said Saturday.
Of the seven people arrested, two are suspected of being burglars, while two Madrid art dealers were also arrested on suspicion of complicity in the thefts. The suspects were not identified publicly and were released on conditions.
The theft, one of the largest in Spain, took place in June last year, but had been kept secret by investigators.
The theft took place in one of the most secure neighborhoods of Madrid, close to the upper house of parliament.
The burglars switched off the property’s alarm system and made off with the paintings without leaving any fingerprints or traces of their presence.
The stolen artworks had been inherited by a friend of the artist. The art collector was apparently away for a brief period, when the thieves broke into the apartment, El Pais reported at the time.
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