crime
After millions were stolen from the museum, no trace of the perpetrators
Police forensics are investigating the break-in at the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne. photo
© Roberto Pfeil/dpa
Unknown people broke into a museum on Wednesday night and stole Chinese porcelain worth at least one million euros. How is the investigation going?
After the million-dollar theft from the Museum of East Asian Art in Cologne still has no trace of the perpetrators or the loot. “The investigation is ongoing, but we have no further information yet,” said a police spokesman on Thursday.
Unknown people broke into the museum on Wednesday night and stole Chinese porcelain worth at least one million euros. According to the city, the museum remained closed to visitors on Thursday.
According to initial investigations, the perpetrators entered the building through a broken window. An employee heard noises and saw two suspicious men.
The burglars stole nine vases, plates and bowls from the 16th to 19th centuries. The market for such objects is very small, said Stefan Charles, head of the cultural department, on Wednesday. The great hope is that the exhibits will ultimately not find a buyer.
The museum, which opened in 1913, claims to be the first specialized museum of its kind in Europe. Accordingly, it houses – alongside the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin – the most important collection of art from China, Korea and Japan in the Federal Republic.