Overview
- The theft took place on September 8 when two masked intruders cut a hole in the villa's fence, broke a window and sawed four Renoir canvases from their hangings before fleeing when a municipal patrol arrived.
- Two canvases were taken while two were abandoned in the garden, with the works reported stolen identified as Madame Colonna Romano and Jeune femme au puits and the left-behind portraits as Madame Pichon and Coco lisant.
- Police carried out coordinated arrests across Alpes-Maritimes, Var, Hérault and Doubs on October 7–8, with reporting varying between five and six people placed in custody.
- The inquiry has been transferred to the Marseille public prosecutor and is open for association de malfaiteurs and vol en bande organisée, with suspects held in garde à vue for up to 96 hours.
- The two stolen paintings have not been recovered and investigators say the BRI used tails, photos and video to build the case; experts note famous canvases are hard to resell which leaves ransom, insurance schemes or other uses as possible motives and raises fresh questions about museum security.