Millions in Lalique jewellery stolen in daring French museum raid
Local mayor hits out at ‘major failure’ of security company after break-in by masked gang
Burglars stole millions of euros’ worth of jewellery from the museum of French luxury glassmaker Lalique in a daring early-morning raid on Sunday, just months after a stunning gem robbery at the Louvre in Paris.
A gang of masked thieves broke into the museum in Wingen-sur-Moder in northeastern France at around 5.30am local time, forcing a door before heading for the jewellery room and smashing open six display cases, a source close to the investigation told Agence France-Presse.
“Around 20 pieces of jewellery were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to 4 million,” the source said.
Another source close to the investigation said the stolen jewellery was crystal, without precious gems, and could not be melted down.
The museum said on its website that it would be closed for several days because of the burglary.
“An alarm went off, but by the time the security company had completed its checks, it was a cleaning lady who arrived first on the scene and called the police,” the first investigation source added.
The CCTV footage was being examined.