Police operation - "Scrap freshening" on cars: arrests in the Ruhr region
A fraudulent car dealer from Dortmund is alleged to have sold rows of manipulated accident-damaged cars from the USA in Germany. The cars - often total losses - were reconditioned in Eastern Europe and then sold in Germany with a manipulated, lower mileage and without any indication of the accident damage, said a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office in Dortmund. The investigators spoke of scrap metal refurbishments.
The cars are said to have been offered for sale nationwide via online platforms. The 57-year-old main suspect is accused of commercial and gang fraud. He was arrested on Wednesday, but a judge did not issue an arrest warrant.
In addition to the Dortmund man, a 48-year-old man from Kamen was arrested, who is said to have sold the cars on behalf of the Dortmund man and handed them over to the customers. The 57-year-old himself had not been arrested. Properties in Bergkamen, Kamen, Dortmund and Hamm were searched. The police seized several cars and a five-figure sum of cash.
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The alleged fraudulent activity involved the total loss cars, which were initially purchased from the USA, undergoing refurbishments in Eastern Europe, and then being resold in Germany with false mileage and accident history. The police operation, codenamed "Scrap freshening," led to the arrest of a 57-year-old suspect from Dortmund and a 48-year-old man from Kamen, who allegedly sold the cars on behalf of the main suspect. The suspected gang's activities spanned across properties in Bergkamen, Kamen, Dortmund, and Hamm, with several accused cars and a substantial amount of cash being seized. Despite the arrest of the 48-year-old, the main suspect remains at large, still evading capture by the German authorities. The public prosecutor's office in Dortmund is further investigating the case, with the total extent of the criminality yet to be fully understood.
Source: www.stern.de
