Key Facts
• On September 16, 2025, a Paris museum discovered a theft of gold bars.
• The stolen gold, weighing 6 kilograms, is valued at €1.5 million ($1.7 million).
• Items included a gold bar gifted by Russian Emperor Nicholas I in 1833.
• Security footage showed an intruder entering at 1:00 AM and leaving by 4:00 AM.
• Tools, including power tools and a welding torch, were found at the scene.
• A 24-year-old Chinese woman was arrested in Barcelona on September 30, 2025.
• She attempted to discard 1 kilogram of melted gold during her arrest.
• French authorities are investigating the stolen gold’s whereabouts and possible accomplices.
Summary
French prosecutors have indicted a 24-year-old Chinese woman for stealing gold bars worth €1.5 million ($1.7 million) from the National Museum of Natural History in Paris. The theft, discovered on September 16, 2025, involved 6 kilograms of gold, including a bar gifted by Russian Emperor Nicholas I in 1833. Security footage revealed the intruder’s actions between 1:00 AM and 4:00 AM, with tools left at the scene. The suspect was apprehended in Barcelona on September 30, 2025, while attempting to return to China. She was found discarding 1 kilogram of melted gold, suggesting an effort to conceal evidence. French authorities are analyzing the recovered gold and investigating potential accomplices.
