Arsonists posing as lottery workers suspected of stealing diesel fuel and causing fires, according to Polish police.
A series of incidents have been reported in Lüdenscheid and Cologne, Germany, over the past few days.
On Tuesday evening, a white Mercedes CLA200 was engulfed in flames under Freihof. The exact cause of the car fire is currently under investigation. In a separate incident, a fire broke out at around 19:45 on Freiherr-Vom-Stein-Straße, involving an old paper container. The fire department successfully extinguished the contents of the metal container, but the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined.
In Lüdenscheid, three unknown individuals were caught shoplifting from a discount store on Brückenstraße at around 16:40 on Tuesday. The shoplifters managed to flee before employees could intervene.
A 62-year-old resident of Lüdenscheid reported an attempted fraud incident last week. A supposed lottery employee called the resident, claiming it was for a "cross-check", but no personal data was provided during the call. The resident later filed a complaint with the police.
Meanwhile, the police are also investigating an incident of diesel siphoning from a truck parked at the Brenscheid rest area on the A45 (direction Frankfurt). Unknown individuals siphoned 500 liters of diesel from the truck.
For any media inquiries, the Cologne Police Department's press office can be contacted at +49 (02371) 9199-1220 to -1222, or by email at [email protected]. The website for the Cologne Police Department is http://maerkischer-kreis.polizei.nrw.
The police are asking for tips on the cause of the fires and the diesel siphoning incidents. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the police at telephone number 9199-0.
