Graves amputated of their bronze ornaments in several aisles, and a list that grows throughout the day, as the thefts are recorded. Twenty-one disappearances of statuettes representing Christ and the Virgin Mary have so far been recorded. They were unsealed from the graves of the Saint-François cemetery, on which they were fixed, between Sunday 26 and Monday 27 July. The municipal officers, alerted by a person come to meditate on the grave of a loved one, have since toured the cemetery to count, with supporting photos, the missing statuettes, the number of which has not yet been determined.
The thieves would have entered the cemetery at night and methodically unsoldered the statuettes attached to the graves located in a perimeter that extends from the middle of the cemetery to the columbarium, without damaging the tombstones. Which, obviously, shows that they were perfectly used to the exercise.
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“A large-scale, premeditated operation”
These highly targeted thefts go beyond the financial loss for families, which amounts to thousands of euros. The moral damage, it is “incalculable”, estimates the municipal officer, responsible for cemeteries. “There are (too) often petty thefts in cemeteries, but this is a premeditated large-scale operation, targeting a relatively precious material. The City must and will file a complaint, ”says Patricia Renaux. And the deputy delegate for the Ecological Transition and the Living Environment continues: “The other cemeteries have not suffered any damage for the moment. We are going to be very careful, but it is difficult to monitor each concession. “
For now, a complaint has already been filed. The families to whom the stripped cellars belong are invited to contact the city services and to go to the nearest police station to report the theft.
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