Crimeupdated 1h ago2 min read
German Police Seize Humanoid Robot After Allegedly Groping 16-Year-Old Girl in Cologne
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Two teenagers suspected of controlling a humanoid robot that groped a 16-year-old girl in Cologne. Robot touched her buttocks and the incident was filmed and livestreamed.
Cologne robot harassment probe
German police launched an investigation after a humanoid robot allegedly groped a 16-year-old girl in Cologne, with the robot touching her buttocks before she screamed and moved away. Cologne police said the teenager was standing outside a fast-food restaurant with two friends on Saturday night when the red and gold robot approached her from behind. North Rhine Westphalia Police said the robot's 16-year-old owner and his companion, 19, were believed to have streamed the incident live on social media and commented on it.
Emergency services were alerted, and police found the teenage boy and the man under investigation with him a block away a short time later. Police confiscated the robot and seized two mobile phones belonging to the suspects as investigators worked to determine whether someone deliberately controlled the robot's movements at the time of the incident.
How police framed control
Cologne police spokesman Christoph Bermel said the two male teenagers have not been charged but are considered suspects, while investigators examined whether the robot’s movements were preprogrammed or controlled in real time. German police said they were trying to determine whether someone was deliberately controlling the robot's movements at the time of the incident. Police said the robot was discovered in the back of a car, where the boy had placed it, and authorities seized the device along with two mobile phones.
Hespress said the investigation targets the owner of the robot, 16 years old, and another young man, 19 years old, suspected of committing the misdemeanor of “sexually aggravated insult,” a crime that could carry up to two years in prison under German law. Police warned that some social media comments on the case “can be a crossing of the line and in the worst case, a criminal offense”.
Evidence and legal stakes
German authorities said they were investigating the alleged assault after the girl alerted police, who subsequently located the robot in the boot of a Volkswagen. The Times of India said officers seized the device and two mobile phones belonging to the suspects as authorities sought to establish who was controlling the robot when the incident occurred. Hespress said the incident occurred during the night between Saturday and Sunday, when a robot approached the girl from behind and touched her buttocks before performing movements of a sexual nature.
تراند نيوز said the robot was about 1.20 meters tall and featured red and gold colors, and it was moving in a street in central Cologne shortly before midnight when it approached the girl. تراند نيوز said police were determining how the robot operated during the incident and were examining the possibility that one of the two youths deliberately controlled its movements to determine criminal liability for the alleged acts.