ISTANBUL

Five days after the spectacular Louvre Museum robbery, French authorities have transferred part of the museum’s unstolen jewelry collection to the Bank of France for safekeeping.

The jewels, among the Louvre’s most valuable remaining pieces, were moved early Friday morning, under heavy police escort, according to sources cited by BFMTV and RTL.

The decision was taken to protect the collection under enhanced security conditions, though it remains unclear when the items will return to public display.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau said she remains “hopeful” about progress in the ongoing investigation, revealing that over 150 DNA, papillary and trace samples have been collected from the crime scene.

“Results in the coming days may open up leads, especially if the perpetrators were listed,” she told Ouest-France.

Beccuau added that the widespread media coverage of what she described as an “organized robbery” could pressure the suspects.

“There’s a small hope that the perpetrators won’t dare move too much with the jewels,” she said.

The thieves stole eight items from the museum, estimated to be worth €88 million ($102.3 million). The stolen collection includes a necklace and an earring from the Marie-Louise collection, a necklace, earrings, and tiara from the Marie-Amélie and Hortense collections, and two brooches, a bodice bow, and a tiara from the Empress Eugenie collection.

Investigators later found Eugenie’s crown, which the robbers abandoned near the museum — a discovery that a Louvre security guard described as evidence that their “plan was thwarted.”

Speaking before the Senate earlier this week, Louvre President Laurence des Cars acknowledged “known and identified weaknesses” in the museum’s perimeter protection.

“We did not detect the arrival of the thieves sufficiently in advance,” she said, citing an “insufficient video pool” and “serious problems with security posts.”

French Culture Minister Rachida Dati also denounced the “false information circulating” about the museum’s security systems, defending ongoing efforts to reinforce protection across France’s major cultural sites.