By chance a father rediscovered his daughter's stolen bicycle in Mettmann and led the police to the alleged thief.
The 47-year-old accidentally observed a man on Thursday evening with the mountain bike that had been stolen a few weeks earlier, the police said.
Mettmann - The alerted officers found the 40-year-old and police-known thief a little later along with his loot.
He received a criminal complaint, especially since further alleged stolen property was found in his backpack.
dpa