Boecker’s Lift Equipment and the Art Heist

Boecker, a manufacturer of lifting equipment located near Dortmund, shared a photo on social media of their truck stationed outside a Paris museum with the caption: “When you need to get going again quickly.”

The machine, known as the Agilo, is capable of transporting up to 400 kilograms and is described in the post as having an engine that is “as quiet as a whisper.”

According to Alexander Boecke, the company’s managing director, the equipment was sold several years ago to a French client who rents such devices in the Paris area.

In Paris, similar lifting equipment is frequently seen in buildings, as many apartments lack elevators.

Last week, the suspected jewel thieves had arranged to witness a demonstration of the machine, using the opportunity to steal it. “They removed the customer’s labels and swapped the license plates,” Boecker explained.

After seeing news coverage of the robbery on Sunday, Boecker and his wife immediately recognized the familiar furniture hoist. “Once we realized everyone was unharmed in the robbery, we took it lightly and began considering how we could leverage this situation for our company,” he noted.

Boecker reflected, “Naturally, it was a chance to gain some attention using the world’s most renowned museum,” while firmly emphasizing, “The crime is absolutely reprehensible.” In the Sunday incident, thieves positioned the truck with an extendable ladder under the museum’s Apollo Gallery shortly after opening. In broad daylight, they ascended the ladder, using cutting tools to break through a window and access display cases to steal jewelry, including eight invaluable pieces such as a necklace originally gifted by Napoleon I to Empress Marie-Louise and a tiara owned by Empress Eugenie, adorned with nearly 2,000 diamonds. The entire operation lasted a mere seven minutes.

© 2025 AFP