Inspector Clueless? French police can't find any trace of jewels stolen in Louvre heist

Despite all the evidence and having the suspects in custody, detectives are none the wiser about the location of the haul

- Kim Willsher

It is three weeks since a group of apparently amateur thieves armed with the most basic of equipment - an angle grinder and a cherry picker carried out France's most daring daylight robbery.

Today, police are holding four people in connection with the theft of an estimated €88m (£77m) worth of crown jewels from the Louvre, two of whom have reportedly "partially" admitted some involvement in the "heist of the century".

Detectives have now collected 150 DNA samples, fingerprints and other traces of the culprits from the windows, scooters and items they discarded as they fled, including gloves, a hi-vis vest and a helmet - not to mention the crown of the Empress Eugénie, wife of the 19th-century French emperor Napoleon III, which was dropped as they escaped.

The police have evidence. They are holding the suspects. They know how the daring daylight raid was carried out and why it succeeded - mainly as a result of serious security failings at the Louvre. But the biggest question remains: where are the jewels?

Despite President Emmanuel Macron's declaration on Friday that "the jewels will be found", searches have uncovered nothing. Those in police custody are giving little away, according to prosecutors. Investigators fear the haul may already have been broken up, destroying its intrinsic value as historic objects and making the gems untraceable.