Holiday Ayo - Before the Louvre Museum robbery, another museum in Paris was also burglarized.

The Museum national d'Histoire naturelle (MNHN), located in the heart of Paris, was also robbed.

The thief involved in the robbery was a 24-year-old Chinese woman. The woman stole the gold nuggets in September 2025.

The stolen gold was worth more than USD 1 million, equivalent to IDR 16.6 billion.

As reported by France24 on Thursday (October 23), prosecutor Laure Beccuau stated that the Chinese woman's robbery at the MNHN, located in the heart of Paris, specifically at the Jardin des Plantes, a historic botanical garden on the banks of the Seine River, was one of several large-scale robberies targeting French cultural institutions.

The thief was arrested in Barcelona on September 30. The suspect was handed over to French authorities on October 13.

He was charged with theft and criminal conspiracy and placed under temporary detention the same day.

Investigations indicate he left France on the day of the burglary and was preparing to return to China.

"At the time of his arrest, he was attempting to dispose of nearly one kilogram of molten gold nuggets," prosecutors said, without providing further details.

Natural History Museum curators became aware of the theft of the gold nuggets on display after a janitor reported debris on site.

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 back to the gold rush era.

"A five-kilogram gold nugget from Australia discovered in 1990 was also stolen," Beccuau said.

He added that nearly six kilograms of real gold was stolen, with the loss estimated at 1.5 million euros. He noted that the historical and scientific value of the nuggets is invaluable.

Surveillance footage showed an intruder entering the museum shortly after 1:00 a.m. local time and leaving around 4:00 a.m.

Investigators found two doors had been hacked with a grinder and a display case had been broken into using a blowtorch.

Tools including a blowtorch, grinder, screwdriver, gas canister, and saw were found nearby.

The investigation is ongoing. Police are also hunting for a Louvre Museum thief who made off with Napoleonic-era jewelry in a spectacular daylight robbery on Sunday.

The theft has reignited debate about the lack of security in French museums. At least four French museums have been robbed in the past two months.

Christopher Marinello, founder of Art Recovery International, which tracks stolen art, said museum thefts are on the rise across Europe and beyond.

He cited cases in the Netherlands, France, and Egypt as examples.

"If you have jewelry or gold in your collection, you need to be concerned," Marinello said.