Chinese Woman Charged After $1.7 Million Gold Theft Rocks Paris Museum

A Daring Heist in the Heart of Paris

French prosecutors have charged a 24-year-old Chinese woman accused of stealing nearly six kilograms of historic gold from the Natural History Museum in Paris a theft valued at more than $1.7 million. The brazen break-in, which occurred in the early hours of September 16, has once again raised questions about the security of France’s cultural institutions.

According to Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau, the suspect was arrested in Barcelona on September 30, just two weeks after the theft. Authorities say she was caught attempting to sell nearly a kilogram of melted gold, allegedly linked to the stolen collection. She was extradited to France on October 13 and placed in provisional detention the same day.

Priceless Treasures Gone Missing

The stolen pieces weren’t just valuable they were pieces of history. Among them were gold nuggets from Bolivia donated in the 18th century, a gift from Russia’s Tsar Nicholas I in 1833, and fragments from California’s iconic gold rush era. The haul also included a five-kilogram nugget discovered in Australia in 1990.

Museum officials described the theft as a devastating cultural loss. “The scientific and historical value of these objects is irreplaceable,” said a museum curator, after a cleaner first noticed debris on the floor near the shattered display.

How The Heist Unfolded

Investigators believe the theft was carried out with precision tools and planning. Surveillance footage captured a lone figure entering the museum around 1am and leaving three hours later. Two doors had been cut open with a grinder, and the glass display case was breached with a blowtorch.

Police later recovered a blowtorch, saws, gas cylinders and other equipment near the site tools used to slice through the museum’s security barriers.

The suspect reportedly fled France on the same day of the break-in and was preparing to fly back to China when she was apprehended in Spain.

A String Of Cultural Crimes In France

This incident is the latest in a series of high-profile thefts targeting French museums. Just weeks after the Natural History Museum heist, thieves staged a seven-minute daylight robbery at the Louvre, stealing royal jewels worth more than $100 million.

The back-to-back heists have triggered public outrage and a heated debate over museum security in France. On social media, users questioned how such valuable collections could be so vulnerable. One Parisian wrote, “If thieves can walk into the Louvre and take jewels in daylight, what hope do smaller museums have?”

A Wake-Up Call For France’s Museums

Cultural commentators say the two thefts have exposed deep flaws in the country’s heritage protection systems. Many of France’s institutions, particularly older ones, rely on limited budgets and outdated security infrastructure.

As investigators continue to search for possible accomplices, both the Natural History Museum and the Louvre remain at the center of a national conversation about safeguarding art and history in an age of sophisticated crime.

{Source:EWN}

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