On Wednesday morning, numerous items of jewelry were stolen from a case at the exhibition at the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy, police said according to The Guardian.
The items are believed to be worth several million euros, police said, but they may be difficult to sell on the black market because of their fame.
Reports confirm that police have launched an investigation into the theft. The exhibition, entitled Treasures of the Mughals and the Maharajahs, brought together hundreds of Indian gems from the 16th to 20th Centuries and it was due to close on Wednesday evening.
The jewelry belongs to the Al Thani collection, which is owned by the royal family of Qatar. Police in Venice said they believed the individual gems in the jewelry might be removed and sold separately.
Police chief Vito Gagliardi stated that the exhibition's security system had not worked properly when the thieves struck.
"The glass case was opened up as it if were a tin can while the alarm if it worked at all, went off late," Mr. Gagliardi is quoted as saying by the Ansa news agency.
Italian police said they had sent photos of the stolen items to London, where the Qatari owners reside so that they can be identified and priced.