GENEVA (AP) — Swiss authorities were searching Friday for two robbers who overpowered a security guard at an ancient Rome-themed museum in Lausanne, smashed a display case and made off with dozens of gold coins that had been displayed inside.
City police said the suspects had purchased tickets and waited until other visitors had left shortly before closing time on Thursday, before assaulting and restraining the guard, and then breaking the display case.
The monetary value of the loot was not immediately revealed, but police said the coins had “archaeological value.”
The theft comes at a time when gold prices have soared in global markets this year — even if they have dropped off their highs lately — and a high-profile robbery at the Louvre in Paris exposed vulnerabilities and security lapses at museums.
Officials said the Lausanne museum employee, a 64-year-old Swiss national, was interviewed by investigators and that he was not injured in the incident. No other people — staff or visitors — were on hand at the time.
State prosecutors have opened an investigation. Lausanne city officials filed a legal complaint for damage to the museum, and the regional government — the owner of the gold coins — announced plans to file a criminal complaint.
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