A group of six individuals using high-powered firearms used explosive devices to break into a gold refining laboratory located in Lyon, France, slightly injuring five workers during what is being called the latest high-profile daylight theft to occur in the nation.
The audacious robbery was carried out on Thursday late morning, with police forces rapidly detaining the alleged criminals and retrieving the loot assessed at around €12 million (£10.5M), as stated by authorities.
Five employees of the gold refining company received light wounds from the blast, and three individuals were taken to a medical facility for assessment, officials confirmed. Twenty-eight workers were inside the facility when the perpetrators raided.
The individuals, considered experienced criminals, were arrested a brief time later in the neighboring community of the town of Vénissieux, a source close to the investigation stated.
A woman involved who took part in the raid was taken into custody as well, according to law enforcement.
“Six suspects who utilized explosives in a raid against a precious metals company in the Lyon area were caught in the act,” the nation's interior minister declared on social media, lauding police for their “decisiveness, speed and control”.
Assault rifles, handguns and explosives were likewise seized.
The heist took place as authorities on that Thursday detained five further people, featuring a main perpetrator, in regarding the recent audacious theft at the Louvre.
Many investigative personnel have been hunting four thieves who utilized a lorry featuring an elevating platform and cutting gear to access a gallery on the first floor at the museum on October 19th, escaping with jewelry valued at approximately €88M.
In a different significant robbery, burglars recently broke into the Parisian museum of natural history, making off with gold samples valued at more than one million dollars. A young Chinese female was taken into custody recently in Barcelona, Spain in relation to the burglary, officials confirmed.
The sequence of heists has generated apprehension in the nation regarding lax security at museums and other institutions containing precious artifacts.
