German police have launched an investigation into two people accused of using a robot to grope a 16-year-old girl in the city of Cologne.
Police confiscated the red-and-gold robot after it allegedly grabbed the girl’s buttocks and made thrusting motions against her, prompting her to scream and move away.
North Rhine-Westphalia Police said the robot’s 16-year-old owner and his 19-year-old companion were suspected of streaming the incident live on social media and commenting on what happened.
According to a police statement published on Facebook, the 120cm (3.9ft) robot approached the girl from behind shortly before midnight on Saturday while she was with friends.
The incident occurred outside a fast-food outlet near the city centre, police said.
Emergency services were alerted, and officers later found the two suspects a block away. The robot was discovered in the back of a car, where the teenage owner had placed it, according to police.
A photograph released by the authorities showed the robot wearing a black moustache, a gold-coloured chain and a white vest.
Police seized the robot and two mobile phones belonging to the suspects as part of their investigation.
Investigators are now trying to establish whether the robot’s movements were deliberately controlled by someone during the alleged incident.
In a follow-up Facebook post, police also warned against inappropriate reactions to the case on social media, saying some comments “can be a crossing of the line and in the worst case, a criminal offense”.
