The Louvre Museum in Paris has reportedly moved some of its valuable jewellery to the Bank of France, according to a report by RTL radio. The transfer comes in the wake of a $102 million jewellery heist that took place at the museum last weekend.
The Bank of France, located just 500 meters from the Louvre on the right bank of the River Seine, safeguards the nation’s gold reserves in a massive vault situated 27 meters underground.
Although neither the Louvre nor the Bank of France has publicly confirmed the transfer, RTL reported that several items from the museum’s Apollo Gallery were secretly moved on Friday under police escort. The Apollo Gallery is home to France’s historic crown jewels.
The theft occurred on October 19, when eight pieces of jewellery worth $102 million were stolen from the Louvre’s collection. The robbery, which exposed serious gaps in the museum’s security system, happened in broad daylight. The thieves used a crane to break an upstairs window during visiting hours and fled the scene on motorcycles. Reports suggest they also attempted to steal a diamond- and emerald-studded crown but dropped it while escaping.
French authorities are now analysing dozens of DNA samples and fingerprints in an effort to identify the culprits, AFP reported, quoting a Paris prosecutor.
Prosecutor Laure Beccuau told Ouest France that investigators had collected and examined nearly “150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces.” She added that the analysis was being treated as a top priority and could yield crucial leads if the suspects already have a criminal history.
While the Louvre’s director acknowledged earlier this week that there had been a blind spot in the museum’s external security surveillance, Beccuau said that footage from public and private security cameras elsewhere in Paris and surrounding areas has helped detectives track the movements of the thieves.
