English
English
English
The incident occurred last Sunday, reported to have occurred around 9:30 a.m. The museum was crowded with tourists at the time. The thieves used an elevator near the construction site to break a window, cut the glass with a disc cutter, and accessed the showcases where the precious jewels were kept.
Suspects arrested over the theft of crown jewels from Paris' Louvre Museum
New Delhi: Several suspects have been arrested in connection with the theft of the crown jewels from the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Paris prosecutor stated that investigators made the arrests on Saturday evening. He further stated that one of those detained was attempting to leave the country via Roissy Airport.
The incident occurred last Sunday, reported to have occurred around 9:30 a.m. The museum was crowded with tourists at the time. The thieves used an elevator near the construction site to break a window, cut the glass with a disc cutter, and accessed the showcases where the precious jewels were kept. They broke open the display cases, stole nine jewels, and fled on a motorcycle.
What was stolen?
The most significant of the nine stolen jewels was the emerald-encrusted crown of Napoleon III's wife, Empress Eugenie. It was adorned with gold, diamonds, and a carved eagle. The crown was found broken outside the museum, while the rest of the jewels are still untraceable.
Thieves Entered Using a Basket Lift
The French daily Le Parisien reported that the criminals entered the world's most visited museum and former palace from a building overlooking the Seine, where construction is underway. The report states that they used a basket lift to directly access the Apollo Gallery room. Le Parisien added that after breaking the windows, they allegedly stole nine jewels from the jewelry collection of Napoleon and the Empress.
Security Questions Raised
This incident at the Louvre has raised serious security concerns. This is the gallery where France's crown jewels are displayed. This place is considered a symbol of historical and cultural heritage. According to experts, this type of theft in broad daylight among tourists is one of the biggest incidents in Europe in the last decade. This theft comes at a time when museum staff have been complaining about staff shortages and lax security. In June too, employees had gone on strike due to overcrowding and shortage of staff.
