Last month's jewellery heist at the Louvre museum was carried out by petty criminals rather than organised crime professionals, Paris's prosecutor has said. This is not quite everyday delinquency... but it is a type of delinquency that we do not generally associate with the upper echelons of organised crime, Laure Beccuau told franceinfo radio. She said four people arrested and charged so far over the theft that shocked France and the world were clearly local people living in Seine-Saint-Denis, an impoverished area just north of Paris. Jewels worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the most-visited museum, in the French capital, on 19 October. In Sunday's interview to franceinfo radio, Beccuau said the four arrested people - three men and a woman - all live more or less in Seine-Saint-Denis. Two of the male suspects had been known to the police, as they each had multiple theft convictions. On the day of the heist, the suspects used a stolen vehicle-mounted mechanical lift to access the Galerie d'Apollon and made their escape on scooters before switching to cars. One stolen item was dropped during the escape, but seven jewels remain unaccounted for. Following the incident, security measures have been strengthened, and the Louvre moved some treasures to the Bank of France for safekeeping.
Louvre Heist: Not the Work of Mastermind Criminals!
Louvre Heist: Not the Work of Mastermind Criminals!
A surprising twist in the Louvre heist case reveals that petty criminals, not organized crime, carried out the daring theft of jewels worth €88 million from the museum.
The recent jewellery heist at the Louvre, which shocked the world with its audacity, was attributed not to organized crime but to petty criminals. Paris’s prosecutor stated that the thieves were local residents from an impoverished area and not seasoned crooks. Four suspects have been identified, allegedly taking precious jewels using a mechanical lift and escaping in a matter of minutes. Security measures are being tightened across cultural institutions in France, and the Louvre has relocated some of its treasures following the incident.
