Theft of Vix’s treasure: a man “in his twenties” indicted

A man “around twenty years old” was indicted and placed in pre-trial detention in connection with the theft on Friday of a gold necklace belonging to the Vix Treasury, the prosecutor’s office of the specialized interregional jurisdiction (Jirs) of Nancy announced on Tuesday. A judicial investigation has been opened “organized gang theft leaders, organized gang concealment of the proceeds of the theft and participation in a criminal association”added the Jirs prosecutor’s office in Nancy, in charge of the case. Because if only two individuals were seen inside the museum, it appears “likely that other co-perpetrators or accomplices” participated in the organization of the package, he underlines in a press release.

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The facts date back to Friday around 10:15 a.m., shortly after the opening of the Pays Châtillonnais museum in Châtillon-sur-Seine. Two individuals, dressed in black and whose appearance was modified “by wearing wigs, a hat and glasses” entered the museum, passing through reception then going directly to the room of the Vix Treasure, dating from Celtic times and buried 2,500 years ago in Burgundy. “Using a sledgehammer and a hammer”they violently hit the secure display case which protected the torc of the Princess of Vix and managed to “in less than a minute” to seize it, describes the floor. Then they quickly left the place, “less than four minutes after their arrival at the museum”.

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The suspect was quickly apprehended after the start of the investigation, according to the prosecution. Investigations are continuing both to find the torque and to identify and question the co-authors. The museum had already been targeted by two previous break-in attempts, but no link has been established at this stage between these and the theft of the torque, said the prosecution.

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“Everyone is stunned”: the thugs entered the Châtillon-sur-Seine museum like tourists to steal Vix’s torque

On Monday, the Ministry of Culture unveiled measures to establish a “safety culture » in museums, recommending in particular to remove certain potential targets of theft from display cases. These measures come nine months after the resounding heist at the Louvre during which the eight Crown Jewels, still unfound, were stolen. At the beginning of July, thieves also got their hands on pieces of jewelry at the Lalique museum in Wingen-sur-Moder (Bas-Rhin). Estimated damage: more than 4.5 million euros.