A village in the Netherlands has called off a search for buried valuables looted by the Nazis during World War II after nothing was discovered.
So many treasure seekers had flocked to Ommeren in central Netherlands that local officials had to ban private treasurer hunters and the use of metal detectors, DW reported.
It was believed that the cache of valuables had been buried somewhere in the area in 1945 by Nazis. The discovery of a hand-drawn map with a red “X” last year caused a rush of private treasurer seekers and local officials to attempt to locate the illicit loot.
But the hunt has officially been called off by authorities after months of fruitless searching.
"We have concluded that there is no Nazi treasure in Ommeren," Birgit van Aken-Quint, a spokesperson for the nearby municipality of Buren, told AFP.
Officials now believe the Nazi stash was real but has long since been removed by unknown individuals.
"We do assume that the treasure was once buried in Ommeren, but that it has been removed at some stage," she added.
The hand drawn map and other documents supporting the treasure’s existence were revealed in January 2022.
The files contained supporting evidence that a bank that blew up in Arnhem in 1944 was afterwards looted by German soldiers who buried jewels, watches and other valuables in ammunition boxes in Ommeren.
The news of the supposed Nazi loot led to hordes of people rushing to the hamlet with treasure hunting equipment.
"We've warned off at least 15 people since the start of January who were using metal detectors," van Aken-Quint said.
The village finally called off the search on Monday after archaeologists concluded there was no longer any treasure.