[CPProt.net] Stolen Mika Waltari "Egyptian" notebook returned. Police believe widespread publicity gained by the theft scared the perpetrators

[MSN CPPnet (Ton Cremers)]

Stolen Mika Waltari "Egyptian" notebook returned 
Police believe widespread publicity gained by the theft scared the
perpetrators 


The notebook belonging to the late Finnish writer Mika Waltari that was
stolen from the premises of the Päivälehti Museum in Helsinki at the weekend
has been recovered. It was mailed to the Helsinki Police Department
yesterday, without a note from the sender. 
      
Two young men suspected of the theft are still on the run. However, the
police believe they will be caught before long. 
      "We are trying to catch the thieves and I'm confident we will. The
descriptions we have of them are quite good, and we have received a lot of
information concerning the case", said Inspector Petri Juvonen from the
Helsinki downtown police precinct.
      The notebook was stolen from the Päivälehti Museum's 60th Anniversary
Exhibition of Waltari's novel The Egyptian last Saturday. Surveillance
cameras showed two young men breaking a locked glass cabinet and leaving the
museum with the notebook. 
      The theft gained a good deal of publicity because the cultural and
historical value of the notebook is very high. 
      The book contains notes of Waltari's world-renowned novel The Egyptian
(1945). The Chairman of the Mika Waltari Society, Anssi Arohonka, estimates
the notebook is worth as much as EUR 1,500. 
      Inspector Juvonen thinks the publicity generated by the theft has been
the very thing that scared the perpetrators. The sale of the item would have
been difficult at best. 
      "I'm quite certain that the extensive media coverage caused the
thieves to change their minds and return the stolen item." 
      
According to Juvonen, police have got a rather clear idea of the identity of
the two young men recorded on the surveillance cameras. He believes that the
heist involves several people, possibly including art collectors. 
      Although the book was returned, those responsible for the incident
will not get off the hook. 
      "It will be for the courts to decide if the return of the stolen item
will have an impact on the sentence." 

http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/