Gold coins stolen from Roman Museum in Switzerland

Gold coins stolen from the Roman Museum in Lausanne Keystone-SDA

The Roman Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, has been the targeted by thieves stole several dozen gold coins of archaeological value.

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The two unknown persons, who broke into the building shortly before it closed on Tuesday, are still on the run.

“An inventory is currently being carried out to determine the exact number of items stolen and to identify any other missing goods. As these are objects of archaeological value, the extent of the damage is not yet known,” Lausanne city police announced on Thursday. The museum was closed on Wednesday for the investigation and reopened on Thursday.

According to the city police, the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon around 4:45pm when the perpetrators entered the Roman Museum after buying their tickets at the ticket counter as normal.

According to initial findings of the investigation, the two men attacked and pinned down the security guard shortly before the museum closed at 6:00pm. By this time, the last visitors had already left the premises.

Alarm raised

They then broke open a secured display case and stole several gold coins on display inside. After the perpetrators had fled, the security guard was able to activate the robbery alarm, which triggered a police operation.

The museum employee, a 64-year-old Swiss national, was questioned by investigators. Despite the circumstances, he is unharmed, according to the police. No other people, visitors or employees, were present at the time of the offence. The city of Lausanne has set up psychological support for the entire staff of the museum.

The public prosecutor’s office opened a criminal investigation against unknown persons for robbery and damage to property and commissioned the Lausanne criminal police to investigate.

The investigation required a large police force. Five patrols from the Lausanne municipal police were deployed, supported by patrols from the cantonal police and the Vaud municipal police. The canine unit and the forensic brigade of the Vaud cantonal police were also deployed.

Inspired by the Louvre?

The robbery is reminiscent of the break-in at the Louvre in Paris a month ago. Thieves had installed a lifting platform at the museum in the centre of the French capital, which they used to break into a gallery. After smashing a window and the display cases, the perpetrators made off with eight pieces of jewellery on scooters.

The investigation into the stolen jewellery, worth €88 million, is still ongoing. Four suspects in the Louvre robbery have been charged and arrested.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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