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Overnight Heist at Limoges Museum Nets Three National‑Treasure Chinese Porcelains

Specialized investigators are exploiting CCTV alongside forensic evidence under a flagrante delicto probe for aggravated cultural theft.

Overview

  • Thieves broke a window around 03:15 to enter the Musée national Adrien Dubouché, reached the historic gallery, and fled before police arrived.
  • Two Jingdezhen blue‑and‑white plates from the 14th–15th centuries and an 18th‑century Chinese porcelain vase were taken, all classified as Trésors nationaux.
  • The museum reports an insurance valuation exceeding €6.5 million after an initial figure of €9.5 million was communicated to police.
  • The prosecutor opened a flagrante delicto investigation and assigned the case to the SIPJ Limoges in co‑saisine with the central office for trafficking in cultural goods, with video and technical analyses underway.
  • No guards were injured and the alarm was raised quickly, while Culture Minister Rachida Dati praised the response and the mayor said security may require review; Le Parisien reports the pieces belonged to a private individual.