Wiesbaden/Erfurt (dpa/th) – In Thuringia, significantly more cars were stolen again in the second year of the corona pandemic. According to figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) on Tuesday, thieves stole 170 cars in Bavaria in 2021. The year before, there were 135 stolen vehicles. This corresponds to an increase of 25.9 percent. Nationwide, too, the number of car thefts increased again after a pandemic-related decline.
According to the BKA, almost 16,500 cars were permanently stolen in Germany last year. This is an increase of 17.5 percent compared to the previous year. The number is now at a similar level as before the pandemic, it said.
The groups of perpetrators mostly acted across national borders, explained Stefan Michel from the BKA. With the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, the borders in Europe were closed and controls were introduced. These restrictions were lifted last year.
Despite an increase in hybrid and electric vehicles, criminals continued to focus on cars with conventional internal combustion engines. According to investigators, the stolen vehicles were often first taken to Eastern Europe and then transported to Central Asia or the Middle East for resale.
