Berlin cop arrested attempting to sell stolen Handy
The officer and an accomplice are accused of stealing a mobile phone, a car and over €100,000 in jewels.
Berlin-Undercover Berlin police officers last week arrested a 30-year-old colleague suspected of stealing a mobile phone and car before pulling off a spectacular jewel heist in Bamberg in southern Germany, Berlin police and Bamberg prosecutors announced on Monday.
The suspect was arrested at Westhafen S-Bahn station on Tuesday, 19 January, as the off-duty Berlin policeman attempted to sell the phone that had been taken in Bamberg. The officer has been on extended medical leave and committed the capers with a 30-year-old accomplice, police said.
The duo are suspected of meeting with a woman on 14 January who advertised a phone for sale online before robbing her of the phone. They then allegedly met that evening with a man hoping to sell an €18,000 BMW, which they then also stole. Finally, the next day, they used the BMW to back into a jewelry store and leave with jewels reported to be worth over €100,000.
They then sped away from the store with a blue emergency light atop their car, mimicking undercover officers.
Cybercrime officers helped investigate the crimes because the suspects had worked to hide their identities online. Police in Bavaria were first led to the officer because of the attempted sale of the phone, and credited swift action by eBay in helping locate the suspect in Berlin.
Both suspects are now in pre-trial custody in Bamberg.