The Louvre Museum in Paris swung open its doors again on Wednesday, just three days after an audacious daylight robbery saw thieves make off with historic royal jewels valued at a staggering €88 million (approximately ₹894 crore).
Crowds Return To The World’s Most Visited Museum
Live footage from French news outlets captured long queues forming outside the museum’s iconic glass pyramid as visitors returned for the first time since the sensational theft. The break-in, described as one of the boldest in recent memory, sent shockwaves across the art world and raised serious questions about security at one of France’s most treasured institutions.
Priceless Royal Jewels Stolen
According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the stolen collection was worth more than $100 million. Among the eight missing pieces were an emerald-and-diamond necklace gifted by Napoleon I to his wife Empress Marie-Louise, and a pearl-studded tiara that once adorned Empress Eugénie, a symbol of 19th-century French elegance and power.
Images released by Reuters showed the delicate diadem that vanished in the meticulously planned heist on October 19. The theft has become a subject of fascination, with experts comparing it to scenes from classic heist films.
A Seven-Minute Operation
Investigators revealed that the robbery was executed in just seven minutes. The thieves reportedly arrived in a truck equipped with an extendable ladder, commonly used by movers in Paris. Parking beneath the Louvre’s famed Apollo Gallery, they scaled a window, smashed open display cases, and used cutting tools to extract the jewels before fleeing the scene.
Prosecutor Beccuau confirmed that four suspects are believed to have taken part in the operation. Authorities are now analysing fingerprints and surveillance footage in hopes of identifying the culprits.
Security Scrutiny And Public Outcry
As news of the heist spread, Louvre Director Laurence des Cars faced pointed questions from a French Senate committee regarding the museum’s security systems. The incident has reignited debate over how well-protected France’s cultural treasures truly are.
The theft also comes just a month after another daring crime in the capital, when intruders broke into Paris’s Natural History Museum and escaped with gold nuggets worth over $1.5 million.
