The German police have arrested a 20-year-old who is said to have stolen almost 3,400 Tonie figures (data carriers in the form of game characters on which songs or audio books for children are stored). The Bosnian, who was wanted across Europe in 58 cases for commercial and gang-related theft, is suspected of having stolen, among other things, 3,357 Tonie figurines worth almost 71,000 euros between November 2022 and January 2024, the federal police announced on Tuesday. The man was caught on Sunday while entering the country on a train from Austria.
Also passport forged
However, the theft of figures was not the 20-year-old’s only crime. When the man was checked at Lindau-Reutin train station, the officers discovered that his passport had been manipulated and that the chip on the ID card had also been destroyed. It also emerged that there was a Europe-wide arrest warrant from the Ingolstadt public prosecutor’s office against him. The Magdeburg public prosecutor’s office has also been investigating the man’s whereabouts since May 2023 because of theft.
The 20-year-old was taken into custody. He was also reported for altering official ID cards and attempting to enter the country without permission. The Tonie figures, which are popular with small children, are placed on an associated so-called Toniebox, which then plays the corresponding radio plays.
