London, Jan 3 (IANS) A suitcase containing 20 kg of gold bars has been found on a train near Paris, BBC reported Tuesday.
A bomb squad was called in after a railway employee found an unclaimed package on board the train at Massy-Palaiseau station, southwest of Paris.
The case contained 20 ingots, with a value of around 800,000 euros (around $1 million).
The bars do not have any official stamp on them, and authorities think they might have been made by melting other gold items.
Investigators said the owner probably left it on the train deliberately, fearing a police check, and was thus unlikely to come forward to claim it.
They were examining CCTV footage from all stations visited by the train.
If the gold remains unclaimed, it might be considered ‘treasure’. The gold would then be shared by the Paris transport operator and the train conductor who found it.
But if it were classified as a ‘found object’, it would be put in the state’s coffers.
