A shocking video shared by Dailymail showed the thieves who looted the Louvre Museum’s Apollo Gallery in broad daylight. The footage showed the two thieves getting off a large ladder in a mechanical delivery basket allegedly parked by the thieves. The heist was carried out in less than 10 minutes by the jewellery thieves, estimated to be worth around 88 million euros ($102 million).
According to the video, one individual was wearing a hi-vis jacket, and the other appeared to be in a full black outfit. Notably, another person could be seen waiting at the bottom of the ladder. As the video moves forward, the thieves can be seen unthreatened by the police, doing their activity with ease.
In the video, an individual says, ‘The individuals are on scooters – they are about to leave,’ as police sirens can be heard in the background. ‘Blast! Try the police. They’ve gone!,’ can also be heard, along with swear words.
The eight items of stolen jewellery included a tiara and earrings from the set of Queen Marie-Amélie and Queen Hortense, of the early 19th century. The crown of Empress Eugenie was found outside the museum, apparently dropped by the thieves during their getaway.
Louvre Museum’s heist
The four thieves executed a rapid raid on the under-construction wing of the 232-year-old museum at 9:30 AM on October 19. A truck with an electric ladder, used for moving furniture through windows, arrived at the Louvre’s Quai François Mitterrand side. The thieves used it to reach a second-floor balcony where the loot happened.
Exploiting a crucial security flaw, they successfully evaded the monitoring camera, which was pointing in the wrong direction. Once inside, they threatened unarmed guards and visitors before smashing two display cabinets and looting precious nine items.
Around 9:38 AM, the thieves climbed back down the ladder and escaped the scene on two high-powered scooters. To flee the heist site with ease, two other accomplices were already waiting downstairs as their getaway drivers.
Laurence des Cars’ resignation and security lapses
As reported by Dailymail, Laurence des Cars, 59, offered her resignation for the embarrassing failure, which allowed the four masked raiders inside the Paris landmark. Des Cars, being the curator and the museum’s director, admitted that security cameras did not cover the window that thieves used to break in and steal uninsured jewellery.
Admitting the mistake, she said, “Despite our efforts, despite our hard work on a daily basis, we failed”. While addressing the flaw in the security camera, she said, “The only camera installed is directed westward and therefore did not cover the balcony involved in the break-in”. She also termed the security cameras as ageing and ‘highly insufficient’.
