A 3-minute heist cost an Italian museum hundreds of thousands in stolen artwork.
4 masked men made off with paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matissebeing kept near the Italian city of Parma.
The raid on 22 March began when the gang forced their way through the primary door of the Magnani Rocca Foundation on the Villa dei Capolavori, in line with Italian media outlets.
They took 4 paintings from the French Room on the constructing’s first floor – Les Poissons by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Still Life with Cherries by Paul Cézanne and Odalisque on the Terrace by Henri Matisse.
The balaclava-clad gang were descibed as an ‘organised group’ and appeared intent on stealing more items before the gathering’s alarm system went off.
The thieves then escaped by climbing over a fence, in line with broadcaster TGR.
In just three minutes, the criminals had nabbed an estimated £7.8million (€9million) price of art from the inspiration, which was arrange within the family home of art collector Luigi Magnani after his death in 1984.
The Les Poissons by Pierre-Auguste Renoir alone was price £5.2million.
The theft is now being investigated by Italy’s Carabinier and the Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Bologna.
Officers are the museum’s video surveillance footage and that of neighbouring businesses to trace down those responsible.
The heist is the newest in a series of costly break-ins targetting major museums in Europe.
In October last 12 months, Robbers broke into the Louvre in Paris in broad dayllight and took $102million price of jewelry in only eight minutes.
The gang wearing hi-vis jackets rode a basket lift up the Louvre ‘s facade, forced a window open before smashing into display cases and fleeing with priceless Napoleonic jewels.
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