Kathmandu— Italian police announced Friday the recovery of three paintings worth over $10 million that were stolen in March from the Fondazione Magnani Rocca museum near Parma. Authorities are investigating nine Moldovan citizens in connection with the theft, believing five directly carried out the burglary. The artworks – by Paul Cezanne, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Matisse – were found in an apartment within Parma after a swift operation lasting less than three minutes, as captured on security footage released by police.

The Heist

The theft occurred on March 22nd, with surveillance footage showing two masked burglars entering the museum through a window and quickly removing the paintings from the walls. They then passed the artworks to an accomplice waiting outside. An alarm was triggered during the robbery, but the perpetrators were able to evade immediate capture.

Recovered Artworks

The Carabinieri, Italy’s domestic police force, along with its cultural heritage protection unit, confirmed that the paintings by Cezanne, Renoir, and Matisse had been retrieved from an apartment in Parma. The recovered artworks are over a century old, leading investigators to believe an organized gang was responsible for orchestrating the theft.

International Connections

The recovery of these Italian masterpieces coincides with another recent art retrieval in Brazil. Authorities there announced Thursday the recovery of paintings by Henri Matisse, valued at approximately $200,000, which had been stolen from a library in December. The artworks have since been returned to their rightful owners and one man was arrested.

The investigation into the Moldovan nationals continues as authorities work to determine the full extent of the organized crime network involved in these art thefts.

(With inputs from Al Jazeera)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.