PARIS: A Chinese language girl has been arrested and charged over the theft of gold from the Pure Historical past Museum in Paris, in considered one of a number of latest high-profile break-ins focusing on French cultural establishments, a prosecutor mentioned Tuesday (Oct 21).
The theft – by what the museum’s director on the time mentioned was an “extraordinarily skilled group” – came about on Sep 16, slightly over a month earlier than an audacious jewelry heist on the world-famous Louvre museum on Sunday.
A 24-year-old Chinese language girl was arrested in Barcelona on Sep 30 over the Pure Historical past Museum break-in and theft of gold value greater than US$1 million, Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau mentioned.
The suspect was handed over to French authorities on Oct 13 and was charged with theft and prison conspiracy and put in provisional detention the identical day.
Investigations confirmed she had left France the day of the break-in and was getting ready to return to China.
On the time of her arrest, she was attempting to get rid of practically 1kg of melted gold items, the prosecutor mentioned, with out offering extra particulars.
The Pure Historical past Museum curator found the theft of exhibited gold nuggets after a cleaner reported particles on web site.
The stolen objects included nuggets from Bolivia donated within the 18th century, from Russia’s Ural area gifted by Tsar Nicholas I in 1833, and from California courting to the gold rush period.
A 5kg nugget from Australia found in 1990 was additionally taken, Beccuau mentioned.
Practically 6kg of native gold was stolen, with damages estimated at 1.5 million euros (US$1.7 million), she added, noting that the historic and scientific worth of the items was “priceless”.
Native gold is a steel alloy containing gold and silver of their pure, unrefined type.
Investigators discovered two museum doorways had been lower with a grinder and the show case breached utilizing a blowtorch.
Instruments together with a blowtorch, grinder, screwdriver, gasoline cylinders and saws have been recovered close by.
Surveillance footage confirmed a lone intruder getting into the museum shortly after 1am and leaving round 4am, in keeping with Beccuau.
The investigation is ongoing, she added.
Police are additionally nonetheless on the hunt for thieves who stole priceless royal jewels from the Louvre museum in a spectacular daylight theft on Sunday.
The heist has reignited a row over a scarcity of safety in France’s museums.
