The Munich police have solved a series of thefts in which damage of around 90,000 euros was caused over just three days last April. The suspected perpetrator was arrested in Frankfurt am Main, where he was using the same scam. He is now in custody there.
The man, a 33-year-old Swede, had chosen fitness studios for his actions – but not the cheap gyms in the industry, but premium studios with high monthly fees and a correspondingly well-heeled audience. In these studios he appeared classy, always in a suit and with a Louis Vuitton bag casually under his arm. He booked a day pass or a free trial training session under a false name – but used the time to spy on potential victims rather than to do sports. Victims later reported that he had conspicuously sought proximity to them during training.
His interest was primarily in expensive watches – during his eight exploits in Munich he stole six Rolexes and a Breitling, as well as a gold necklace. In one case he came away empty-handed. He waited until his potential victim went to shower or put down his valuables for another reason. Then he broke open the corresponding locker in the locker room – which apparently required nothing more than a small screwdriver – grabbed his loot and disappeared.
In this way, on three days, namely April 21st, 24th and 25th, 2023, he managed to commit two thefts in the old town, one in the Au, one in Laim, two in Schwabing and two in Neuhausen. The man then disappeared from Munich.
Then the suspected thief made a mistake
When the investigation was not going well, the clerk at the responsible Commissariat 53 had an idea: He asked all the responsible departments in Germany whether they were aware of similar cases. And Frankfurt and Hamburg actually got in touch. A comparison of the respective surveillance videos showed that it was really the same perpetrator: the suit, the Louis Vuitton bag, but also the man’s very noticeable tattoos.
His moment came in mid-August 2023, when the alleged perpetrator made the mistake of going to a fitness studio in Frankfurt where he had already stolen from. An employee remembered the man, suit, bag and tattoos and called the police. They arrested him on August 15th, the investigating judge issued an arrest warrant and he has been in custody ever since.
The police now assume that the man has been working professionally using the method since the end of 2022; similar cases are now also known from Switzerland. It is not yet clear whether there will be criminal proceedings or whether he will be tried separately in Frankfurt and Munich.