Bavarian police have successfully dismantled a sophisticated international art forgery operation, seizing millions of dollars worth of fake masterpieces allegedly created by renowned artists including Pablo Picasso, Rembrandt van Rijn, and Frida Kahlo. The extensive investigation spanned three countries - Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein - and resulted in the arrest of 11 suspects involved in what authorities describe as a major conspiracy and fraud scheme.

The investigation began when a 77-year-old German man, identified as the ringleader of the operation, attempted to sell two paintings he claimed were original works by Pablo Picasso on the international art market. Authorities became even more suspicious when the same suspect tried to sell a painting titled "De Staalmeesters" - also known as "The Masters of the Clothmakers' Guild" - for 120 million Swiss francs ($113 million). The problem was that the authentic version of this famous Rembrandt oil painting is permanently displayed at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

The forged Rembrandt painting was actually owned by an 84-year-old Swiss woman, who is now under investigation by the Amberg public prosecutor's office, the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (BLKA), and Swiss authorities. After the suspicious artwork was confiscated in Switzerland and examined by art experts, police confirmed their suspicions. "It was, as suspected, a copy and not a lost masterpiece by Rembrandt van Rijn," authorities stated.

On Wednesday, October 15th, coordinated dawn raids were conducted simultaneously across Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. During these extensive searches, investigators discovered and seized a large number of suspected art forgeries, along with crucial evidence including documents, records, mobile phones, storage devices, and cloud data that could help expose the full extent of the criminal network.

According to Bavarian police, the main suspect had attempted to sell an additional 19 counterfeit artworks, falsely attributed to world-famous artists, with asking prices ranging from $349,000 to $12.2 million. The collection of fake masterpieces included works supposedly created by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens, Italian sculptor Amedeo Modigliani, and Spanish surrealist Joan Miró.

The 77-year-old ringleader received assistance from a 74-year-old German accomplice who played a crucial role in the scheme by "preparing expert reports specifically to confirm the authenticity of the artworks." This fraudulent authentication process was essential to convincing potential buyers that they were purchasing genuine masterpieces rather than sophisticated forgeries.

Both the main suspect and his elderly accomplice were arrested during the coordinated raids but were subsequently released under conditional terms while the investigation continues. The BLKA emphasized that this is an ongoing investigation with many aspects still being examined.

Authorities have announced that all confiscated paintings will undergo detailed examination by art experts and professional appraisers in the coming weeks. This comprehensive analysis will help determine the full scope of the forgery operation and may reveal additional information about how the fake artworks were created and distributed across international markets.