The Louvre Museum in Paris transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France on Friday amid continued uproar over an audacious $102 million heist. The yet-to-be-identified robbers had waltzed out of the museum in broad daylight with eight dazzling pieces from the Napoleon and Empress collection last week — exposing massive security lapses in the world’s most visited museum. Hope of a recovery has gradually dwindled with investigators now analysing DNA samples and fingerprints on tools and other items found at the scene.
According to French radio RTL, several precious items were transferred from the Apollo gallery on Friday under a secret police escort. Details remain sparse but publicly available details confirm that this collection also includes the French crown jewels. The Bank of France — which stores the country’s gold reserves in a massive vault 88 feet below the ground — is just 500 meters away from the Louvre.
Thieves had broken into the Louvre during visiting hours earlier this week — making their getaway with eight pieces worth an estimated $102 million. A ninth piece was presumably dropped during the heist and later found on the museum premises. They had used a crane to smash an upstairs window and escaped on motorbikes within a matter of minutes. News of the robbery reverberated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation.
‘Small hope’ of recovery
Officials are now analysing more than 150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces from the tools and safety gear left by the thieves. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, told Ouest-France newspaper that she had “a small hope” the jewels could still be recovered and was “optimistic” about the investigation outcome. She expected that “in the next few days, results will perhaps provide us with leads, particularly if the perpetrators have criminal records”.