Editor’s Note
This article reports on a pair of thieves in Germany who allegedly targeted wealthy retirees, with a trial now underway. The piece includes details on the estimated value of the stolen goods and the suspects’ confessions.
red/dpa/lsw
October 27, 2025 – 15:40
The duo allegedly targeted wealthy retirees (symbolic image).
Photo: IMAGO/Jochen Tack
A pair of thieves is also suspected to have specialized in targeting wealthy retirees in southwestern Germany. The value of the loot: half a million euros. The defense attorneys announced confessions.
A duo must stand trial in Düsseldorf for trick thefts and robberies targeting wealthy retirees, including in Baden-Württemberg. According to the indictment, the 27-year-old woman and her 29-year-old partner are alleged to have stolen luxury watches and jewelry with a total value of approximately half a million euros.
The public prosecutor’s office accuses the couple of robbery and bodily harm, among other charges. Following a legal discussion behind closed doors concerning potential sentences, the defense attorneys announced comprehensive confessions for the coming Wednesday.
Both defendants were arrested in their native Romania in May and have been in pre-trial detention since. The duo is alleged to have struck 15 times in 2022 and 2023, tearing watches, bracelets, and rings from the victims’ bodies, in some cases using violence.
The crime scenes are located in Stuttgart, Ulm, Baden-Baden, Karlsruhe, Koblenz, Düsseldorf, Essen, and Lübeck. Initially, the defendants, supported by other accomplices, are said to have attempted to steal from their victims unnoticed.
According to the court, the public prosecutor considers at least four years imprisonment for the 29-year-old man and seven years for his partner appropriate in exchange for confessions.
Investigators tracked down the duo through cell tower analysis and surveillance of their phones. Furthermore, their DNA traces were found at the crime scenes and on the victims. Several victims are also said to have identified them from photos. Eight trial days are scheduled for the proceedings, lasting until November 26.
