After the spectacular robbery at the Louvre in October last year, during which 88 million euros worth of jewels were stolen in broad daylight, a fraud of over 10 million euros has now been uncovered at the museum's ticket office, reported Agence France-Presse.
According to the first elements of the investigation, the fraud has lasted for about ten years. The investigation began at the end of 2024 after a signal from the museum. On Tuesday, nine people were arrested in connection with it, the Paris prosecutor's office announced. The detainees are suspected of ticket fraud committed to the detriment of the Louvre and the Palace of Versailles.
Among the suspects are two Louvre employees, two tour guides and a man who is believed to have organized the entire fraudulent network. At this stage of the investigation, the police have seized over 957,000 euros in cash, as well as 486,000 euros from various bank accounts. The detainees are suspected of having invested part of the proceeds from the fraud in real estate in France and Dubai.
The alert, filed in 2024 by the Louvre administration, concerned a pair of Chinese tour guides at the museum. They had been bringing groups of Chinese tourists in, using the same tickets for different visitors several times. Other tour guides then began to use the same technique. Finally, they decided to install listening devices, confirming the museum management's suspicions. Then, museum employees who helped the scheme work were also suspected. During the investigation, it was found that the criminal network had been bringing up to 20 groups into the museum per day with the same tickets for about ten years.