A recent jewellery heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris was described by the city’s prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, as being perpetrated by petty criminals rather than organized crime figures. Beccuau indicated that the four individuals arrested so far—three men and a woman—are believed to be local residents from Seine-Saint-Denis, an economically disadvantaged area north of the capital.
On October 19, approximately €88 million worth of jewels were stolen from the museum. According to Beccuau, two of the suspects have prior theft convictions, while the third, a 38-year-old woman, has been charged with complicity in organized theft and conspiracy. The suspects, who remain unnamed, have denied involvement. Investigators believe that a total of four men were involved in the daylight theft, and one is still at large.
The incident occurred shortly after the museum opened at around 9:30 AM local time. The group allegedly used a stolen mechanical lift to access the Galerie d’Apollon and employed a disc cutter to break into display cases. They spent only four minutes inside before fleeing on scooters and then switching to vehicles. During their getaway, one of the stolen items, a crown, was inadvertently dropped, but the remaining seven pieces have yet to be located.
The authorities fear that the stolen jewels may have been smuggled out of the country, although Beccuau expressed hope for their recovery. In response to the theft, the Louvre has heightened security measures and transferred some of its most valuable pieces to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gw42j29lqo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss