How a French 'detective' and a German freight lift went viral after the Louvre heist

Thieves raided the world-renowned Paris museum last week and escaped with priceless jewellery

The dapper 'detective' strolls past police blocking access to the Louvre in Paris after the robbery on October 19. AP

A dapper man in the foreground of a photo taken by an Associated Press photographer was one of the main topics of conversation on social media platforms and web forums following the shocking seven-minute robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris last Sunday.

The photo looks like several others taken by Thibault Camus on the day of the robbery, showing uniformed policemen blocking the museum gates. However, a passer-by bringing elements of Paris couture to the scene inspired Mr Camus to take this particular shot.

The main speculation online was that the man was a French detective on the case. Comments drew parallels to fictional characters such as Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther series, Sherlock Holmes and even Hercule Poirot. There were some claims of AI manipulation too, which were quickly debunked.

Culture BitesSell it or melt it: What will the thieves do with their stolen Louvre jewellery?

Listen Now

Adding to the online buzz there was no clarity from the authorities. “We’d rather keep the mystery alive ;)” the Paris prosecutor’s office said in an email response to the Associated Press.

Reactive marketing

Photos of a German-made freight lift that the thieves used for the daylight robbery also went viral in the past week. Alexander Boecker, the managing director and third-generation owner of Boecker Maschinenwerke GmbH, said he and his wife were “shocked that our lift had been misused for this robbery”.

Alexander Boecker, of German manufacturer Boecker Maschinenwerke GmbH, with a crane similar to the one used in the Louvre jewellery heist, in Werne. Reuters

“Once the initial shock had subsided, black humour took over,” he wrote in an email to AP.

By Monday morning, the German company had come up with a social media post featuring a photo of the freight lift and a slogan that translates to “when something needs to be done quickly”. The post touts the ability of the Boecker Agilo to transport up to 400kg of “your treasures” at a speed of 42 metres per minute. It moves “whisper quiet” thanks to its 230-volt e-motor, the post adds.

Boecker said the response was largely positive and that “a vast majority laughed heartily” after the post went online.

$102 million robbery

Authorities say the thieves spent less than four minutes inside the Louvre on Sunday morning. They wheeled the freight lift up to the museum, rode the basket up the facade, forced open a window, smashed display cases and grabbed the Napoleonic jewels.

The stolen jewellery was valued at $102 million (€88 million), a French prosecutor said on Tuesday.

Louvre Museum in Paris closes after jewellery theft

00:30

The theft reignited a row over the lack of security at French museums, after two other institutions were hit last month. Criminals broke into the Natural History Museum in Paris, making off with gold nuggets valued at more than $1.5 million. Thieves also stole two dishes and a vase, estimated at $7.6 million, from a museum in the central city of Limoges.