Part of the valuable jewelry collection was transferred to the French central bank Banque de France for security reasons after the break-in at the Louvre Museum in Paris. local media reported on Friday. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
The information of the French television RTL that the jewels were transported under police supervision to the nearby vaults of the French central bank was also confirmed by the television BFMTV. The transfer to the central bank reportedly concerned jewelry displayed in the Apolón Gallery – from which thieves stole eight rare pieces on Sunday – and other jewels.
According to the station RTL, the jewelry was stored in a security vault 26 meters underground, where approximately 90 percent of France’s gold reserves are also located. This is an emergency measure. Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, whose value is estimated at more than 600 million euros, have been stored in the same safes for several years.
On Sunday morning, four masked thieves broke into Apollon’s gallery, where they stole eight pieces of jewelry from two showcases. The four perpetrators needed only three minutes and 58 seconds to commit the theft. The value of the stolen jewelry is estimated at 88 million euros. After the theft, all visitors were evacuated from the museum. The incident sparked a debate about security measures at the museum. The search for the perpetrators continues.
