Chinese woman accused of stealing 1.5 million euros worth of gold from Paris museum

A woman of Chinese origin has appeared in French court after being accused of stealing six gold pieces worth around 1.5 million euros from the Natural History Museum in Paris last month.

The woman was arrested in Barcelona while trying to sell molten gold. Police found an angle grinder and an air torch at the scene.

The museum's alarm and surveillance systems had been disabled by a cyberattack, and the Chinese woman was apparently aware of this and took advantage of it to carry out the theft. The janitors discovered the theft when they arrived at work before dawn.

The suspect was arrested by Spanish police on September 30 on an international arrest warrant and handed over to French authorities the same day. At the time of her arrest, she was in possession of about one kilogram of molten gold. Investigations are ongoing as it is suspected that she was preparing to leave for China.

One of the largest pieces stolen, originating from Australia, weighs 5 kg. At the current price of gold, it would be worth around 585,000 euros.