Europol adds Serbian woman to list for Maastricht jewelry heist

Ninoslava Jovic, a 41-year-old woman from Nis, Serbia, was added to Europol’s Most Wanted list on October 29. Dutch investigators accuse her of helping a gang flee after they robbed the TEFAF art and antiques fair in Maastricht, the Netherlands, in June 2022. The heist involved the theft of jewelry valued at 33,000,000 pounds.

Dutch police are offering a 16,690 pound reward for information that leads to the arrest of Jovic and four other Serbian men. The four men are Aleksandar Cenic, 50; Aleksandar Stojiljkovic, 50; Dusko Dimitrijevic, 50; and Bratislav Stojanovic, 41. Investigators describe Jovic as having brown eyes and blonde or brown hair. Her forearms bear distinctive tattoos, including the name Selena on the right arm and the word Faith on the left.

According to the investigation, Jovic did not smash the display cases or steal the jewelry directly. Instead, she is suspected of providing logistical support and helping the four men escape. Serbian media reports state that she was filmed driving a hired getaway car. Investigators believe she rented apartments used by the suspects as they fled through Austria and Hungary toward Serbia.

Police believe Jovic is currently living in Nis, but they have warned she may travel to other countries. A Dutch police investigation leader stated that Serbia does not extradite its own citizens. He explained that authorities hope to track the suspects' movements so they can be arrested if they leave Serbia. The investigation has lasted more than four years.

The original robbery occurred while visitors attended the exhibition. Four men wearing smart suits, caps, and glasses approached a jewelry stand owned by London-based jeweler Symbolic and Chase. They smashed glass display cabinets with hammers. Some members of the group carried what appeared to be guns and threatened visitors while an accomplice grabbed the jewels. No one was injured during the raid. The gang escaped on electric scooters and then switched to hired vehicles.

Investigators say the suspects stayed in Belgium, specifically in Liege and Verviers, before traveling through Germany, Austria, and Hungary. Encrypted communications linked at least one suspect to an earlier attempted robbery at the same fair in March 2020. That attempt was abandoned because the exhibition closed during the pandemic. Police are also seeking two women who returned a getaway car near Frankfurt Airport on July 2, 2022, though the women are not suspects.

Three diamonds from the stolen haul have been recovered. One was found in Israel, another in Hong Kong, and a third in Botswana earlier this year. A necklace featuring a rare yellow diamond estimated at 27,000,000 pounds remains missing. An insurance company has offered a 500,000 pound reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen jewelry.