[MSN] Police hunt for stolen leopard statues

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Police hunt for stolen leopard statues 
    Staff Writer 
    April 27 2006 at 05:06AM  
 
The Claremont police are asking the public to help them find two bronze
leopard statues - a male and a female - and a 100-year-old diamond ring
stolen recently in the area in separate thefts.

It is suspected that the items will be offered for sale to unsuspecting
members of the public, said police spokesman Randall Stoffels.

"Two bronze male and female leopard statues were discovered stolen by the
owner on March 30. 

"It is alleged that the statues were taken from the garden of a house in
Paradise Road, Newlands," said Stoffels. 

Described as two Benin bronze leopards, one metre long, 1,5m high, and very
heavy 
The statues were described as two Benin bronze leopards, one metre long,
1,5m high, and very heavy with identification markings and covered almost
from head to tail with an embossed pattern to mimic the spots of a leopard.

The teeth protrude and both have a hole under the base of the tail, Stoffels
said.

 
The diamond ring was stolen on Thursday April 20 in a burglary at 6am from a
house in Finsbury Avenue, Newlands. 

"The ring was described as a white gold diamond ring, older than 100 years,"
said Stoffels.

Anyone with information can contact CrimeStop on 08600 10111.

Another bronze sculpture stolen in February from a Claremont house is still
missing. 

The metre-high statue was bought over 30 years ago.

Earlier this year another metre-high bronze sculpture worth R30 000
disappeared from a gallery in Canal Walk.

No one noticed it was missing for three days.

Staff at The Beauty of Africa Art Gallery discovered that the sculpture was
missing early on a Monday morning. 

They hunted through records, and then realised that the sculpture had not,
in fact, been sold. 


This article was originally published on page 6 of Cape Times on April 27,
2006