The trial takes place in front of the Berlin district court (symbol image) Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From BZ/dpa
After a robbery by fake police officers on the island of Usedom, the trial against two men in Berlin has begun – with confessions.
The 29 and 32-year-olds are said to have stopped a delivery van almost six months ago in the Baltic Sea resort of Trassenheide (West Pomerania-Greifswald) as alleged police officers, handcuffed the driver and stole daily income of around 9,000 euros.
The accused essentially admitted the allegations on the first day of the hearing on Wednesday before the Berlin district court. They had received a “tip”, the two men explained.
With a rental car, they are said to have overtaken and stopped a van on Strandstrasse on the morning of October 7, 2022. The 32-year-old held a police baton out of the car “to give the impression that they were police officers,” according to the indictment.
When the then 35-year-old driver stopped, they pretended to be the “Volgast police” and demanded that the driver’s license and vehicle documents be handed over. In the driver’s cab, the 29-year-old discovered a shoulder bag with daily earnings. One of the perpetrators loosened the handcuffs on the driver before fleeing.
According to reports, a search led to the arrest of the suspects on the day of the crime. The 32-year-old said through his defense attorney that the co-defendant had received a tip and asked him if he would participate.
“It sounded easy, a harmless person should drive takeaways and collect money,” said the 32-year-old. However, there were no handcuffs. They would have shared the booty with the tipster.
The trial will resume on April 6th.