Hamburg Police Returned Stolen Bikes to Fences (Welt)

Welt writes that after a major raid in Hamburg’s Rothenburgsort district, police seized about 1,800 suspected stolen bikes. Only 47 could be returned to rightful owners; the rest were given back to the convicted fences. The two main perpetrators received fines and suspended sentences for commercial fencing. The bikes were returned because authorities could not prove they were stolen or find the legal owners, and long-term police storage was not feasible. Most bikes were of low value and not claimed, possibly due to insurance payouts. The case highlights legal and practical challenges in handling mass bike theft and returning property, leading police to focus future seizures on coded or high-value bikes.