Quiz on thieves and thefts

On this day in 1983, the original FIFA World Cup trophy, the Jules Rimet Cup, was stolen from the Brazilian Football Federation office in Rio de Janeiro. Today’s quiz is all about famous thieves and thefts.

Steal the show

1 Which famous work was first stolen in February 1994, recovered in May the same year, and then again stolen in 2004 before being finally recovered in 2006?

2 Scott Lang is a fictional superhero, a reformed thief who turned to burglary when his job as an electrical engineer wasn’t exciting enough. By which name is he better known in the Marvel Comics Universe?

3 Which 1960 film is about two former paratroopers convincing other member of their unit, the 82nd Airborne Division, to join them in simultaneously robbing five casinos — The Sahara, the Riviera, the Desert Inn, the Sands and the Flamingo?

4 What did Italian Vincenzo Peruggia do around 7.30 am on August 21, 1911, ostensibly for patriotic reasons?

5 In Indian mythology, which deity, after whom a specific Purana is named, is regarded as the patron of thieves and knavery?

6 In 1995, Erica Morini, a well-known performer, reported the theft of which specific type of musical instrument? This was the most valuable musical instrument stolen till date.

7 In Tintin comics, which recurring character is a retired civil servant who is a serial pickpocket and managed to steal the wallets of both Thompson and Thomson?

8 Who, after being released from Tihar jail in 2010, was recruited by Aider Detective Agency to bring his expertise to solving crime?

9 In December 2007, in which Indian state did thieves, drawing inspiration from the film Dhoom, rent a restaurant a floor below a bank vault, break in and steal 80 kg of gold and ₹5 lakh in cash?

10 In 2001, which celebrity was arrested for stealing $5,500 worth of clothes and accessories at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills?

Answers

1 Edvard Munch’s The Scream. In the 2006 Hindi film Don, it’s shown as being in Don’s vault.

2 Ant-Man.

3 Oceans XI. This was the original version starring Frank Sinatra and Peter Lawford, remade in 2001.

4 He stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre, claiming later that he wanted da Vinci’s work to return to Italy.

5 Skanda, the brother of Ganesha, also known as Murugan and Kartik.

6 Stradivarius violin. The worth of this particular piece, known as the Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius, was over $3 million.

7 Aristides Silk; he appears in both Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham’s Treasure.

8 Devender Singh, better known as Bunty, the inspiration for Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye. It didn’t last, he was arrested again in 2013.

9 Kerala; the Chelembra branch of the Bank of Kerala.

10. Winona Ryder. She later claimed that she was clinically depressed at the time and had to serve 480 hours of community service.

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj