BMW debacle in Dortmund: Man steals his own car back!

BMW debacle in Dortmund: Man steals his own car back!

In Dortmund, an unusual case of car theft has come to light, which raises questions about the possession. A 38-year-old man was arrested because he is said to have stolen a car. The remarkable detail: The vehicle originally belonged to a 27-year-old man from Mannheim who had previously reported it in Romania as stolen. The BMW, built in 2017, will be estimated at a value of around 12,000 euros.

The theft of the car took place at the end of April, while the 27-year-old was in Romania. After reporting the incident to the police in Romania and his insurance company, a few weeks later the Dortmund acquired his BMW. This should have remained inconspicuous at first if the original owner would not have discovered the location data of the vehicle in Dortmund.

The return of the vehicle

Instead of reporting to the police, the 27-year-old decided to travel to Dortmund himself. In a daring action, he opened his car with his key and drove back to Mannheim. Meanwhile, the 38-year-old submitted a complaint with the police on May 22, 2025.

The Dortmund police reacted quickly and was able to localize the car in Mannheim with the available location data. When arrested, the 27-year-old, who presented documents who dismissed him as a lawful owner, as well as the Dortmund. Both men were able to explain to the authorities how they had reached the vehicle.

Investigations and legal gray areas

The police have secured the vehicle and is now investigating the ownership structure. The identification of the original perpetrators in Romania also remains a further focus of the investigation. It remains unclear whether the 27-year-old has violated the law due to his unauthorized resignation of the vehicle.

The investigation is expected to take some time, since both the legal aspects and the background of the car theft must be carefully checked. In the context of car theft in Germany, it should be noted that the partial comprehensive insurance covers damage after theft, which could possibly be important for the 27-year-old if his vehicle could no longer be found. In such cases, policyholder can receive the reimbursement of the replacement value, whereby a deductible is deducted.

For future cases of this kind, it is essential to show attention, especially with regard to the safety of vehicles in public space. Statistics show that car theft is still a serious problem and that both technical and legal solutions are required to prevent preventive

reports that ...
Deutschland/autoeck-klaut-mannheim-dortmund- Festival-Dieft- Ortungs data-owned-hauldies-unklar-Art-6220174" GDV notes that ...