Thieves steal three valuable paintings in three minutes

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It took three minutes for thieves to make off with three paintings by Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse worth nearly £8m. Four masked men broke into a private museum in northern Italy on 22 March and, according to local media, were only interrupted by an alarm system. The museum was quoted as saying the gang appeared “structured and organised”. This is the latest in a series of high-profile heists, which includes the daylight robbery of the Louvre in October. As easy as the thieves may have found it to carry out their Italian job, the challenge will now be in converting their wares into cash. Unlike stolen jewels, which can be dismantled, melted down and sold, paintings tend to maintain their value only when intact. The robbers also have a powerful enemy on their tail. Italy’s Carabinieri Art Squad has recovered millions of stolen and fake artefacts since it was formed in 1969. They have drones.