Fields Medal - Nobel Prize For Maths - Is Stolen Minutes After Professor Wins It

Fields Medal, one of the most prestigious award offered in the field of mathematics, is stolen from a Cambridge professor, Caucher Birkar, in mere half an hour after he was awarded with it in Rio de Janeiro. The award was given at International Congress of Mathematics to four winners. But it was reported that the award was stolen at the event itself. Birkar said he left the medal on the briefcase with cellphone and wallet on the table. The security team did find the briefcase at the event itself but the medal was missing. The newspaper reported that the security camera footage was able to identify the thief.

The organisers released a statement later lamenting the theft. The statement said that the committee profoundly regrets the disappearance of the briefcase of the winner that had the medal. The police authorities have coordinated with the members of the committee to investigate the matter further. The ceremony was held at a convention centre called Riocentro in Rio - a city that is grappling with increasing crime rates. Birkar is Iran-born and is a refugee that moved to United Kingdom around two decades ago.

Fields medal started in 1936 and has been awarded every 40 years since 1950 to promising mathematicians under the age of 40. Surprisingly, this was not the only pressing problem that the event faces that night. Just 3 days before, a fire broke out at the pavillion due to a sky lantern. Everything set up had to mount again.

By: Neha Maheshwari

Content: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/01/fields-medal-award-stolen-brazil-maths-prize