Overview
- Paris prosecutors said a 24-year-old Chinese woman was placed in custody on suspicion of organized theft tied to about 6 kilograms of display gold taken from the National Museum of Natural History, valued at roughly €1.5 million.
- Investigators believe most of the stolen gold was already disposed of and are questioning the suspect about possible accomplices and the fate of the loot.
- Spanish authorities detained the woman in Barcelona on September 30 as she sought to return to China, then transferred her to French custody.
- In the October 19 Louvre raid, four perpetrators took eight 19th-century jewelry pieces in about seven minutes, and investigators estimate losses at €88 million after curators’ assessment.
- Similar cutting tools and gas burners were found at both crime scenes, a 100-person team is pursuing forensic leads and potential organized-crime links, and the Louvre’s director has acknowledged security shortcomings.