Gang of robbers in the Vechta district: reward increased to 5,000 euros!

Gang of robbers in the Vechta district: reward increased to 5,000 euros!

Investigators in Lower Saxony are faced with a big mystery: for some time they have been desperately searching for members of a gang of robbers who are up to mischief in the Vechta district. The search program “File number In order to collect additional clues, the reward for relevant information has been increased to 5,000 euros. This amount was almost doubled after several investigative attempts came to nothing.

The next episode of “Case number XY… Unsolved” will be broadcast on August 20, 2025 and is specifically dedicated to this series of robberies, which includes four robberies. Between October 2023 and March 2024, the perpetrators, who were always armed, robbed various hypermarkets and stole cash:

Details about the raids

• Überfall 1: 12. Oktober 2023 in Langförden – Drei bewaffnete Männer bedrohten die Mitarbeitenden und flohen mit einer mittleren vierstelligen Bargeldsumme.
• Überfall 2: 3. November 2023 in Lutten – Zwei maskierte Männer bedrohten Angestellte mit Schusswaffe und Messer und entkamen mit den Tageseinnahmen.
• Überfall 3: 16. Dezember 2023 in Vechta – Ein maskierter Täter bedrohte Mitarbeitende mit einer mutmaßlichen Schusswaffe und floh mit Bargeld.
• Überfall 4: 8. März 2024 im Luttener Markt – Ein maskierter, bewaffneter Mann zwang die Mitarbeitenden zur Öffnung des Tresors und entkam mit einer größeren Bargeldsumme im Kleinwagen. Der Täter war etwa 1,70 m groß und sprach akzentfreies Hochdeutsch.

The original reward of 3,000 euros was already offered in March 2024, but recent developments have led investigators to increase the amount to 5,000 euros as little progress has been made in solving the cases [ Mercury ] .

Another case is in the media

In the past, the ZDF program “Aktenzeichen XY… Unsolved” has already contributed to suspects turning themselves in to the police. An 18-year-old from Schwerte was recently arrested after surveillance camera images of a serious robbery were broadcast nationwide. Due to the pressure of the search, the young man turned himself in at a police station. Three other 18-year-olds from Dortmund are also suspected. It is interesting that one of them works as a trainee inspector for the North Rhine-Westphalia police and only started his training three months after the crime [ ZDF ].

Police Chief Gregor Lange made it clear that it was incomprehensible how such people could get into the police service. The commissioner candidate was temporarily suspended from duty, while arrest warrants were issued against all four suspects. The charges range from aggravated robbery to attempted murder [ ZDF ].

Crime crisis in Germany

Meanwhile, the issue of crime concerns society. In 2022, over 5.63 million crimes were registered in Germany, and the number of robbery offenses was more than 38,000. What is particularly noteworthy is that the clearance rate for robbery crimes is almost 60%, which is significantly higher than for residential burglaries [ Statista ].

The increase in thefts since 2015 shows that society is facing major challenges. The most common crimes include shoplifting and bicycle theft, which represent a growing security problem [ Statista ].

While the police and other authorities continue to try to take targeted action against crime, the hope remains that the cases surrounding the gang of robbers in the Vechta district can soon be solved. Information from the public is crucial here!