German police confiscate robot that allegedly groped 16-year-old girl, take owners’ phones

German police have seized a humanoid robot after it allegedly touched a 16-year-old girl indecently and made sexually suggestive gestures towards her in Cologne, CBS News reports.

The incident occurred on October 10, shortly before midnight, near a fast-food restaurant on a busy nightlife strip, according to a police statement released on Monday. Videos online appear to show the red-and-gold robot, about four feet tall, approaching the girl from behind, touching her buttocks and repeatedly making thrusting movements.

Police said the robot’s 16-year-old owner and his 19-year-old companion livestreamed the encounter. Officers found them nearby with the robot already in the boot of a car, and seized the machine and both men’s phones as evidence.

One of the men later claimed on TikTok that the robot had accidentally collided with a woman while avoiding a passerby.

Investigators are examining surveillance footage and online recordings to establish whether the robot was remotely controlled, programmed or acting on its own.

Legal experts told RTL that German sexual harassment law generally requires direct physical contact between people, so police are investigating a sexually motivated insult instead. No charges have been filed.