Detectives have raised suspicions that the audacious theft of $157 million worth of artefacts from the Louvre might have been orchestrated with insider help.

The meticulously executed heist unfolded in just four minutes, with the perpetrators making a swift getaway on motorcycles.

The priceless treasures stolen include a sapphire diadem, a necklace, and a single earring once belonging to 19th-century French royals Marie-Amélie and Hortense. Also taken were an emerald necklace and earrings from Empress Marie-Louise, Napoleon Bonaparte’s second wife; a reliquary brooch; Empress Eugénie’s diadem; and her significant corsage-bow brooch, a cherished piece from the 19th-century imperial collection.

Experts express concern that these jewels might be dismantled.

Christopher Marinello, the founder of Art Recovery International, suggests that the culprits may plan to disassemble or recut these stones, disregarding their historical significance.

He issued a stark warning: “We must dismantle these criminal networks and find alternative strategies, or we risk losing priceless artefacts forever.”