The shelves of Omega Music, at Townfoot Industrial Estate, were cleared of orchestral instruments after suspects cut a hole in the roof.
More than 230 items were stolen in the raid, which happened sometime overnight on Tuesday, November 14.
It’s thought the suspects ripped out the lining of a huge double base case to transport loads of saxophones, clarinets, flutes, trumpets and French horns from an attic warehouse to a waiting van on Carlisle Road.
Staff think as much as a transit van load of equipment was taken.
The highest value instrument was a Yanagisawa saxophone, worth £3,000. Other top names included Selmar, Elkhart, Buffet and Howarth.
Ian Warnes, owner of Omega Music, thinks it was a planned and professional job.
Offenders managed to get away without setting off the alarm and there is no trace of them coming in to the estate on CCTV.
He told The Cumberland News: “It’s as if they knew precisely where the sensors were, but they could have been lucky.
“They were very clever. They didn’t come into the car park. They slid all the instruments down the bank onto the main road.”
This week the appeal was given maximum publicity after a clever headline published in the News & Star went viral.
Saturday’s edition featured the story with the headline “Orchestral removers in the dark” which went viral after fans of the band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – and even the band themselves – shared it on social media.
Mr Warnes said it couldn’t have been better as the appeal was given added exposure.
Cumbria Police are continuing to appeal for anyone with information to contact 101 quoting log 49 of November 15. Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111.
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