Al fresco thieving! Moment raiders strolled off with restaurant’s tables and chairs after they were put outside during cleaning
- The chairs were stolen from outside Saraztro Greek restaurant in Roath, Cardiff
- One of the furniture thieves pauses to let traffic pass, as he makes a calm escape
- Restaurant boss said the incident on 18 October is part of a local crime wave
- South Wales Police are encouraging anyone with information to come forward
This is the moment two brazen thieves walked off with a restaurant’s tables and chairs.
The CCTV footage shows the pair taking dining furniture from outside Saraztro Greek restaurant in Roath, Cardiff on Monday just before 8am.
One of the men, wearing a baseball cap and carrying a stack of chairs, even stops to let traffic pass before crossing the road.
The pair of thieves, captured on CCTV outside Saraztro Greek restaurant in Roath, Cardiff, calmly stacked the chairs before walking away with them – seemingly unconcerned about being caught red handed
Restaurant boss Agit Ceviz said the theft took place when the cleaner moved the furniture outside ahead of opening hours.
He said: ‘It’s unbelievable. Our cleaner was working before we opened and he took the table and chairs out so he could clean inside the restaurant and behind the bar.
‘He took them outside, he turned around and they had disappeared. He called me up and came straight down to the restaurant and we were just in shock. Neither of us could believe it.’
The theft took place on Wellfield Road in the city – a street that has been hit by a string of break-ins in recent months.
Agit, who opened his restaurant nearly three years ago, said: ‘It seems to be happening everywhere.
‘Thieves are breaking in and helping themselves to whatever they want – they’re even taking bikes from outside the restaurants and businesses – and now tables and chairs.’
‘The biggest issue we have is that a lot of people stay quiet, they don’t do anything about it.
One of the men stood patiently to let traffic pass, before crossing the road and disappearing out of sight with the Greek restaurant’s furniture – which had been momentarily left outside while cleaners were working inside the establishment
Saraztro Greek restaurant fell prey to the brazen furniture thieves early in the morning, as cleaners left the furniture unattended on the street while they carried out a pre-opening sanitisation of the premises
Restaurant boss Agit Ceviz said the theft outside Saraztro Greek restaurant in Roath, Cardiff was only one more incident in a string of crimes that have afflicted businesses on Wellfield Road in recent months
‘I like to escalate the problem and make people aware about it. People need to know what’s going on so we can try and stop this.
‘Things like this happening show that real change has to be made – something has to be done.’
Previous break-ins on the street include St Andrew’s Coffee Court – which donates all its profits to a local church.
And the nearby Anatoni’s Pizzeria was also broken into in May.
A spokesperson for South Wales Police confirmed the force is now investigating the incident.
Anyone with information should contact police.
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