Gold stashed in a wall discovered

During the renovation of a house in Belgium, construction workers got the shock of their lives when they drilled into a wall. Hidden inside the wall was a massive hoard of gold, worth an estimated 900,000 euros – equivalent to approximately 127 crore 67 lakh taka (around 12.76 million USD).

The scene of the renovation work changed in an instant. Now the question is: who is the real owner of this vast amount of gold, and who will ultimately keep it?

Earlier this week, workers stumbled upon the gold while drilling into a wall to install new drainage pipes. An investigation has since been launched into the matter.

The country's police have stated that no one is allowed to enter the house to search for further treasure. After the gold was found, the entire house was thoroughly searched. All recovered gold has been moved to a safe location.

The construction workers – including an 18-year-old youth named Kobe, who was working during his summer holidays – discovered the stash while working on the house's foundations.

Kobe told Belgian public broadcaster VRT, "At first, we couldn't believe it. I thought the coins might just be one-euro coins. Then we saw a piece of gold, and we realized this was something much bigger."

The workers contacted the police immediately after finding the gold. They also stated that there was no possibility of keeping the gold for themselves.

The construction site manager, Mario, told VRT, "There were so many coins and gold bars there that it was almost impossible to keep them to ourselves. Besides, keeping the gold would be considered theft."

Kobe also said that hiding 900,000 euros' worth of gold was simply out of the question.

The current owner of the house is CAW Oost-Vlaanderen, a social welfare organization in East Flanders. The organization provides various social and welfare support services in Dendermonde, a city of about 47,000 residents.

The organization's director, Geert Hillaert, said his first reaction upon hearing about the gold was astonishment. He hopes that ultimately, the money can be used for the organization's work. The wealth could be put to use in meeting the great need for assistance for people in the community.

However, local police have warned people not to crowd around the under-construction house in search of treasure. Police have stated that they hope the gold will ultimately end up in the right place and bring about positive change in people's lives.

Under Belgian law, the true owner of the gold has five years to come forward and claim it. However, the local prosecutor has said that it is still unknown who the actual owner is.

If no one claims ownership, under civil law, treasure found on someone else's land or property is generally split between the person who discovered it and the owner of the property where it was found. However, this requires proof that the gold is not linked to any criminal activity.

Now, the construction workers and the organization that owns the house must wait. They may have to wait up to five years – or 1,823 days – until the true owner makes a claim. If no one eventually claims it, the finders and the property owner may receive a share of this treasure.

Source: BBC