Bata calls return of stolen slippers a miracle
Published: March 5, 2006
Jewel encrusted slippers that were stolen from Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum are back with their rightful owner while one man is facing charges for their theft.
Filip Djukic, 35, was arrested Friday at 2:50 a.m. and charged with possession of property obtained by crime. He made a court appearance later in the day.
Three high-value items disappeared from a display case in the museum earlier this year. Topping the list were the slippers, valued at $160,000 because they were studded with precious stones and once worn by an Indian prince.
“It’s a miracle for us that we got them back,” Sonja Bata, the museum’s founder, said Friday. “Because I don’t believe there’s another pair like that on the market.”
Also stolen were a gold toe ring valued at $11,000 and a gold anklet worth $45,000.
A staff member with the museum noticed the artifacts missing on Jan. 22. A display case had been broken into but the building’s alarm system was not activated.
Police began an investigation including examinations of security camera videos and interviews of museum staff. Police feared the thief had a ready buyer for the artifacts.
Last week Toronto Police released pictures of two women and a man who appeared to be attending a party. They were identified only as “persons of interest” to police.
Djukic reportedly was pictured in one of the photos. Police say the two women are not facing charges. Their names were not released.
A tipster told the museum where to find the missing items.
“The museum was advised that the shoes were in a certain location. We went there and there was the plastic bag, as the voice had said on the telephone,” Bata said.
The slippers are part of the museum’s permanent collection and considered to be a personal favourite of Bata’s.
After an inspection by experts at the museum, the items will once again be displayed.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: