Louvre transfers jewels to Bank of France after heist, RTL reports
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A 2020 photo shows a visitor with items at the Louvre worn by France’s Empress Eugenie, including a tiara (front) and crown (right). The crown was dropped by thieves during an Oct 19 heist.
PHOTO: AFP
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- The Louvre moved precious jewels to the Bank of France after a daylight heist exposed security weaknesses.
- Thieves stole eight pieces worth $102 million on 19 Oct, entering via a crane and escaping on motorbikes.
- The transfer on 24 Oct, escorted by police, followed public outcry due to the security breach.
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PARIS – The Louvre has transferred some of its most precious jewels to the Bank of France, according to French radio RTL, after an audacious daylight heist
The transfer of some precious items from the museum’s Apollo gallery, home to the French crown jewels, was carried out on Oct 24 under secret police escort, RTL said, citing unnamed sources.
The Bank of France, which stores the country’s gold reserves in a massive vault 27m below ground, is just 500m away from the Louvre, on the Right Bank of the River Seine.
The Louvre and the Bank of France did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
The thieves stole eight precious pieces worth an estimated US$102 million (S$130 million) from the Louvre’s collection on Oct 19, exposing security lapses as they broke into the world’s most-visited museum using a crane to smash an upstairs window during opening hours. They escaped on motorbikes.
News of the robbery reverberated around the world, prompting soul-searching in France over what some viewed as a national humiliation. REUTERS
