Two men suspected of robbing a jewellery shop in Oslo at knifepoint were arrested in the Polish port city of Gdynia less than 24 hours later after Norwegian investigators established that they had boarded a ferry to Poland. Polish police say officers recovered 49 gold chains, other jewellery and cash when the two Romanian nationals, aged 31 and 37, were detained shortly after the ferry arrived.
The robbery took place on 1 October at West Sølv og Mynt, a jewellery and precious-metals shop in the Frogner district of Oslo.
Norwegian police reported shortly after the robbery that two people had threatened staff with a knife before fleeing in a black or grey Volkswagen Golf. No one was injured.
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The shop’s owner estimated that jewellery worth up to around NOK 300,000 had been taken, although the final value of the stolen property has not been publicly established.
Suspects headed for a ferry to Poland
Norwegian investigators quickly identified two suspects and circulated an international alert.
Information from Norway’s SIRENE bureau — the system used by European law-enforcement authorities to exchange information linked to cross-border alerts and arrest warrants — was passed overnight to the Polish National Police’s International Police Cooperation Bureau.
According to an official account published by Gdynia police, officers were told the suspects were believed to be aboard a ferry sailing towards Gdynia.
Polish police and the Border Guard then prepared to intercept them as the vessel approached the port.
Investigators also established that the men apparently did not intend to continue their journey in the car used after the robbery. Instead, police say they planned to leave Gdynia by bus.
They did not get that far.
At approximately 07:15 on 2 October, officers detained the two men on Polska Street in Gdynia, close to the port area.
From the robbery in Oslo to the arrests in Poland, less than a day had passed.
49 gold chains recovered
Polish police say officers seized 49 gold chains, a silver chain, a brooch and a watch face with pendants during the operation.
They also recovered cash in Norwegian kroner and Romanian currency, three mobile phones, two SIM cards and clothing belonging to the suspects.
Norwegian reporting confirms that the suspects had been identified quickly after the robbery and internationally sought.
Police prosecutor Trude Helen Flåten told Norwegian media that both men had been charged in Norway with aggravated robbery and that an arrest warrant had been issued to secure their return.
The allegations have not yet been tested at trial, and the men should therefore be treated as suspects rather than as convicted perpetrators.
Court orders two months in custody
Following the arrests, the men were taken into Polish police custody.
On an application from the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk, a Polish court ordered them to be held for two months while the cross-border procedure continues.
Norwegian authorities have said they expect the two suspects to be transferred to Norway, where the criminal investigation is being conducted.
The case provides a particularly rapid example of European police cooperation.
Within hours of the robbery, Norwegian officers had identified suspects and their vehicle, issued international alerts and established that the pair had apparently left Norway by sea.
By the time their ferry reached Poland the following morning, Polish police and Border Guard officers were already waiting.
