Jewellery worth up to €4m stolen from France museum

PARIS: A burglary at the Lalique museum in northeastern France early on Sunday led to the theft of around 20 pieces of jewellery, with the loss estimated at several million euros, according to the company and a source close to the investigation.

The break-in took place at about 5:30am in Wingen-sur-Moder, where the museum dedicated to French jeweller and glassmaker Rene Lalique is located near the company’s factory. The investigation source told AFP the intruder or intruders went directly to the jewellery room.

The same source said the stolen items could be worth close to four million euros. In comments carried by AFP, the source said: "Around twenty pieces of jewellery were stolen. The loss is currently being assessed but could amount to several million euros, likely close to four million."

An alarm was triggered during the burglary, but the source said a cleaner reached the site before the security company had finished its checks and then alerted police. CCTV footage is being reviewed as part of the investigation. The museum said on its website that it would remain shut for several days following the theft.

The Lalique museum, which focuses on Art Nouveau and Art Deco works by Rene Lalique, opened in 2011. The burglary comes after a high-profile daytime heist at the Louvre in Paris in October last year, when thieves escaped in under eight minutes with jewellery valued at $102 million, drawing renewed attention to security at museums and galleries in France.