Regensburg (dpa/lby) – Four truck deliveries with more than 800 bicycles worth 1.6 million euros have apparently been stolen from a manufacturer from the Upper Palatinate. A supposed forwarding company had initially carried out several transports on behalf of the manufacturer without complaint, as the police announced on Tuesday. Then, however, four deliveries with more than 800 bicycles disappeared – and also the now suspect forwarding company. This was obviously a “phantom company” that was founded purely “for the purpose of committing crimes,” the police said.

This “phantom company” no longer exists, and contact has been severed. The bicycle manufacturer reported the incidents back in April, it said. The Kripo in Weiden in der Oberpfalz has taken over investigations into suspected fraud. There have been similar cases across Europe in which the “phantom company” is said to have been involved.