Losses Due To Theft At The Louvre Museum Are Estimated To Reach IDR 1.6 Trillion

Louvre Museum Paris. (Wikimedia Commons/Martin Falbinser)

JAKARTA - Paris public prosecutor Laure Beccuacu said on Tuesday, the thief who carried out his action at the Louvre Museum, Paris, France managed to get away with jewelry worth around 88 million euros (IDR 1,695,443,200,000).

"It is important to remember that this loss is an economic loss, but not much compared to the historical losses caused by this theft," the prosecutor told RTL radio.

In what some politicians refer to as national humiliation, four people broke into the Louvre on Sunday using cranes to break the upper floor window.

They took valuables from the royal jewelry gallery before escaping on a motorbike.

The eight stolen jewelry included the Tiara and earrings from the set of Queen Marie-Amerie and Queen Hortense, from the early 19th century.

Meanwhile, the Crown of the Queen of Eugenie was found outside the museum, apparently falling during the escape.

The thieves took action around 09.30 local time when the museum had opened to the public, and entered the Galerie d'Apollon building.

Prosecutor Beccuau explained the robbery lasted between six and seven minutes and was carried out by four unarmed people, but threatened the guards with a corner.

"The theft carried out in the Louvre is an attack on the legacy that we uphold because it is our history," said French President Emmanuel Macron on X.

"We will return the works, and the perpetrators will be tried," he continued.

The robbery raises complicated questions about security at the museum, where officials have raised alarms about the lack of investment on world-famous sites, home to artworks like Mona Lisa, which visitors visit 8.7 million in 2024.

Prosecutor Beccuau said it was still a mystery why thieves did not steal the Regent diamond, which is stored in the Galie d'Apollon and is estimated to be worth more than 60 million US dollars by Sotheby's.

"I have no explanation," he said.

"Only after they are detained and facing investigators, we will know what kind of order they have and why don't they target that window," he said.