# Belgian teen finds €9 million gold hoard during sewer work 2026-08-16T14:21:18+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 3 independent outlets An 18-year-old student, identified only as Kobe, unearthed a stash of gold coins, nuggets and bullion bars worth an estimated €9 million (₹85-99 crore) while digging trenches for a sewage system in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, Belgium. The discovery was made on Tuesday at the site of a former brewery, where the gold had been bricked into a cellar wall beneath a late-19th-century villa originally built for brewery owner Theophilus Van Assche. Kobe and his colleagues immediately contacted police and notified social welfare organisation CAW, which is renovating the heritage-listed property. The gold has been moved to a secure facility in Brussels while authorities investigate its origins. Hanne Ollevier of the East Flanders public prosecutor's office told HLN that officials must first determine whether the bullion was stolen or linked to criminal activity. Under Belgian law, finders must wait at least five years for potential owners to come forward. The construction company, CAW, and possible descendants of the Van Assche family could all stake a claim. Former Dendermonde mayor Piet Buyse told HLN he would not be surprised if the family had hidden gold on the property. Kobe said he and his colleagues hope to receive a finder's reward eventually. ## Coverage - hindustantimes.com - livemint.com - indiatvnews.com This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-08-16T14:30:39+00:00. Tags: CAW, The Guardian, Van Assche Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/teen-finds-rs-99-crore-gold-hoard-while-digging-sewer-in-belgium/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/teen-finds-rs-99-crore-gold-hoard-while-digging-sewer-in-belgium/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/