Woman Arrested in Connection with $1.7 Million Gold Theft from Paris Natural History Museum

A 24-year-old Chinese woman has been arrested in Barcelona in connection with the theft of gold valued at approximately $1.7 million from the Paris Natural History Museum. The theft occurred on September 16, when intruders used tools such as an angle grinder and blowtorch to break into the museum's geology and mineralogy gallery, making off with several native gold specimens. The stolen items included gold nuggets from Bolivia donated in the 18th century, from Russia's Ural region gifted by Tsar Nicholas I in 1833, and from California dating to the gold rush era. A five-kilogram nugget from Australia discovered in 1990 was also taken. The museum described the loss as of "immeasurable heritage value." The suspect was detained in Barcelona on September 30 while allegedly attempting to dispose of nearly one kilogram of melted gold pieces. She was extradited to France on October 13, charged with theft and criminal conspiracy, and placed in provisional detention. Investigations revealed that she had left France on the day of the break-in and was preparing to return to China. The theft is part of a series of recent high-profile heists targeting French cultural institutions, including a jewelry theft at the Louvre Museum and a porcelain heist at the Adrien Dubouché National Museum in Limoges.