A German man was on Monday detained by police after stealing back his own car.

The 27-year-old from Mannheim in south-western Germany reported that his BMW was stolen while visiting family in Romania in April.

He had earlier reported the theft to the police and his insurance company.

Weeks later, the vehicle was bought by a 38-year-old from Dortmund in Germany.

“At the moment it looks very likely that there were two victims,” said a police spokesman in the western city of Dortmund.

The 27-year-old was said to have used location services to track down the car in Dortmund, but instead of reporting the discovery of the vehicle, he drove to the city instead, opened the car with his own key and returned to Mannheim.

On Thursday, the older man who had bought the stolen car reported the theft of his new car.

Police used location data to find that the car was in Mannheim and detained the 27-year-old the same evening.

Investigators were startled when the man presented documents to police confirming he had bought the car himself in the United Kingdom several years ago.

Both men were “credibly” able to explain how they ended up in possession of the car, the spokesman said.

The vehicle was built in 2017 and is worth 12,000 thousand euro (13,660 thousand dollars). It was seized by police, who are seeking to clarify its ownership.

Authorities are still searching for the original thieves in Romania, while it must also be determined whether the 27-year-old is liable for prosecution after stealing back his own car. (dpa/NAN)