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Suspected forgery ring cracked

MADRID, Spain -- Spanish police have arrested 11 people and seized 186 suspected forged works of art.

The suspected family art forgery ring was cracked when investigators noticed a painting by Spanish impressionist Joaquin Sorolla on sale at a January Madrid fair.

More forged paintings, including mimics of works by Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro, were spotted at other fairs the next month.

A police unit specialising in art crimes confirmed that the original works were with the artists' heirs, and then apprehended the family members, including the suspected painter, from the cities of Madrid, Malaga and Jaen, according to the interior ministry.

One of the confiscated works included a semi-finished oil painting with Sorolla's forged signature.





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