Last week rippers cut over 100 tarpaulins at roadhouses near German highways. Among the victims are also Polish transport companies.
German media have reported that „tarpaulin rippers” are striking again and the police calls for potential witnesses of the events which occurred last week in several car parks near motorways and federal roads.
110 tarpaulins cut near Erlangen
In the Saturday-Sunday night (11/12 November) in Steigerwald-Nord, Steigerwald-Süd and Aurach-Süd inns, located by the German A3 road, rippers cut tarpaulins when the drivers were sleeping in the cabins – reported br.de website. Oddly, nothing was stolen from any of the trucks. Spokeswoman of the local police suspects that „they didn’t find anything they’d like”.
Rippers robbed Polish trucks
The perpetrators who in the Thursday-Friday night (9/10 November) attacked trucks at one of the inns at A2 towards Berlin, did not leave empty-handed. In Auetal-Süd thieves cut tarpaulin of a Polish truck and stole 50 brand new Pirelli tires. From another Polish truck they stole 3 thousand packs of various types of screws in the same way. In the case of next five trucks rippers left empty-handed and left the load intact, reports presseportal.de.
The next such event took place the same night on the BAB 2 road, in the Schaftrift car park (Schaumburg district). The perpetrators damaged tarpaulins of four trucks – two from Poland and two from Germany. However, they did not steal anything.
According to the Russian association of international road carriers Asmap, in November in Brandenburg on the 21st km of the German A2 highway rippers cut tarpaulins of five vehicles – from Russia, Poland and Belarus. The cuts are in a the shape of a smile of 15-20 cm. Asmap warns drivers and asks for caution.
Tarpaulin rippers cause millions of dollars in losses
Only in Lower Saxony in 2016 there were 750 such incidents.
The Federal Office for Freight Transport (BAG) estimates that the losses caused by the criminals who rob trucks in Germany are up to 300 million euros per year. Thieves most often steal computers, other electronic equipment and building materials.