Aussie police search for owner of lost 2.5 kg gold bar

A cleaner with a conscience has handed in a 2.5-kilogram gold bar to Australian police after finding it while at work in the West Australian (WA) capital city of Perth.

The "mixed gold" bar, measuring around 22 centimeters in length by five centimeters wide, was found in the Perth suburb of East Victoria Park last month.

On Monday, police detectives launched a campaign to reunite the misplaced gold bar with its owner.

Depending on its purity, the chunk of gold bullion could be worth in excess of 75,000 U.S. dollars.

While police would usually expect to be flooded with ownership claims for such a valuable piece of lost property, this case may prove tougher to crack.

WA police suspect the crudely set bar, which has no defining marks or features, may be less than 50 percent pure gold and made from stolen jewellery.

Small shapes resembling parts of jewellery can be felt across the bar, backing up the police's theory that the gold has been melted and repoured to mask the proceeds of crime.

Petty criminals and organized crime syndicates often melt down distinctive, personalized gold rings in order to avoid detection when pawning gold.

Under Australian law, if the owner is not found within three months the gold bullion will either be given back to the cleaner or sold at public auction.

Anyone with information has been urged to contact Australia's national crime intelligence hotline, Crime Stoppers. Endit