Overview

• Officers searched 25 homes and business premises in Dormagen, Düsseldorf, Cologne and the Rhein‑Erft district in early‑morning operations.
• Five men aged 18 to 24 were detained on court warrants, and a separate warrant was executed against a 20‑year‑old already in custody.
• The scheme allegedly involved calls that feigned suspicious account activity to obtain victims’ PINs and EC cards, which were then collected in person.
• Cases span North Rhine‑Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Rhineland‑Palatinate, and suspects reportedly include multiple nationalities aged roughly 18 to 26.
• Victims were primarily seniors according to police, the detainees have been placed in pre‑trial detention, and the investigation continues with a presumption of innocence.