Lindhorst takes a first look at the file. What he sees makes him optimistic that he can catch the perpetrator. Because he has lost something at the crime scene. There are some witnesses who have made a statement. Lindhorst evaluates them, sees if they contain clues that lead him to the perpetrator. What does the man look like? Was there anything conspicuous about his behaviour? Are there other witnesses? But the statements do not provide any decisive clues.

Lindhorst wants to solve every case, even if he knows that is utopian. "I assume every police officer has this ambition," he says. And the police officer still has the pictures from the surveillance camera in the savings bank: they show a man entering the branch on 4 April 2022. It is a Monday, shortly before 3 pm. Customers are queuing in front of the two counters, including the perpetrator, who is wearing a blue surgical mask, a dark leather jacket and a blue cap and holding a plastic bag in his hand.

Because of the Corona pandemic, the man in the mask does not attract attention. While standing in the queue, he lets some people go ahead. "That was unusual," says Lindhorst. Apparently he was waiting for a certain counter to become free so that he could then get to the checkout there, Lindhorst suspects. He has watched the video many times. It provides him with many details about the man's clothing.

The video also shows the man approaching a counter. He pulls out a revolver from his shoulder bag. He steps behind one of the counters, which is not manned at the moment. He pushes aside the employee who is just coming back and tries to activate the alarm. Then he goes to the second counter, threatens the employee with the gun and snatches a container with money from her hand.

The perpetrator throws the plastic bag away and runs towards the exit. There he collides with a customer who unsuccessfully tries to grab the hand with the gun. In the collision, the perpetrator loses a large part of the money. In addition, a shot goes off. Lindhorst's investigation reveals that the weapon is only a gas revolver.

The perpetrator flees outside. In the entrance area of the savings bank, banknotes are left everywhere - and the perpetrator's cap. He escapes with a little more than 1,000 euros, considerably less than he had initially taken. Lindhorst does not want to reveal the exact amount, but he says it was in the five-digit range. With his loot, the perpetrator runs in the direction of the Duisdorf railway station, witnesses observe. Later, the police searched there with sniffer dogs.

Because the witnesses' statements do not lead Lindhorst to the perpetrator, a judge decides that the police can publish the pictures from the surveillance camera. Lindhorst gets new hope. Maybe he can catch the unknown man after all. Three weeks after the crime, the photos appear in the newspaper.

Then the waiting begins. The camera pictures are good, the man's eyes and nose can be seen. "I had great hope that someone would come forward," says Lindhorst. When the police publish photos, they usually always find another witness. Days pass, but no one comes forward.

One last possibility to get to the perpetrator is DNA traces. These can be compared with a database of the Federal Criminal Police Office. Maybe the same DNA has already been found at another crime scene, or it belongs to someone who is already registered in the database. But it does not match the perpetrator from Duisdorf. Lindhorst's resources are exhausted. "That's really the end of the line," he says.

But the ZDF television station gets in touch, and the programme "Aktenzeichen XY...ungelöst" wants to take up the case. It is one of the channel's oldest formats, in which viewers give clues to unsolved crimes. Lindhorst is to appear in the programme. Once again, there is hope for a tip that could lead to a breakthrough in the investigation. Just being in the public eye is not really his thing. "I'd like to hand it over," says Lindhorst about his appearance. "But someone has to do it.“

And that's why he will be answering presenter Rudi Cerne's questions about the case in the Munich studio. "Hope dies in the end," says investigator Lindhorst, who has not yet given up on the case. "It's a chance."

Police ask for clues

The Bonn police describe the perpetrator who robbed the Duisdorf savings bank like this: He is between 20 and 30 years old, 1.80 metres tall and slim. His hair was shaved short at the sides. He was wearing a dark leather jacket with dark fabric cuffs, a black sweatshirt jacket, a white T-shirt, grey jeans and dark blue shoes with a white emblem of a polo player. His blue cap was of the Wedze brand. His black shoulder bag had the words: Find Your Lost Star. Witnesses can contact the Bonn police on ☎ 0228/150.