Image copyright Reuters Image caption This file photo shows an identical coin from the same mintage

Police have raided homes and made arrests in Berlin over an audacious night-time heist which saw a huge solid-gold coin stolen from a museum.

The raids took place and a car was seized in the district of Neukoelln, German news agency DPA reports.

The suspected robbers are believed to have used a ladder to get into the Bode museum and a wheelbarrow to carry the 53cm (21in) coin away in March.

Last week, police released CCTV footage of suspects at a local train station.

The Canadian "Big Maple Leaf" is made of 100kg (220lb) of pure 24-carat gold - which means it is worth about $4.2m (£3.3m), despite a lower nominal face value.

It has not been found and investigators say they believe it may have been melted down and sold.

They are said to be at a loss as to how the thieves broke bullet-proof glass inside the building and evaded burglar alarms.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The stolen Canadian £1m coin was stolen from behind bulletproof glass

As well as making the arrests on Wednesday morning, police seized a car where a balaclava and knife were found.

Sources inside the investigation say the suspects come from a "large Arab family" with alleged links to organised crime.

The Big Maple Leaf coin