All 88 chairs placed on the terrace of the Ipanema café at the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht, Netherlands, were stolen over the weekend in a coordinated theft.
The missing designer chairs are valued at a minimum of €21,500, according to café manager Freek Joosten, who spoke with L1 Nieuws.
The unusual incident took place at around 4:00 a.m. on Monday. Footage from the café’s security cameras showed several individuals carrying out the theft without appearing rushed.
“Our camera footage shows multiple thieves, completely at ease, stacking all 88 chairs and walking back and forth calmly several times. As a business owner, you think: how is this possible?” Joosten said.
Joosten explained that the chairs had been secured with iron cables and that the terrace was under surveillance. Despite the security measures, the thieves managed to remove all the chairs. “About 25 cameras are hanging here between the provincial government building and the Bonnefanten. And yet they still manage to do it.”
The theft came shortly after the café terrace underwent renovations, making the loss particularly frustrating for the business. The criminals left the tables behind but also removed a waste container from the area. In an effort to continue serving customers, Joosten arranged temporary seating from a catering company.
Following the incident, Joosten appealed to the public through Facebook, asking witnesses or anyone with useful information about the theft to contact him.
