Thieves steal bottle caps but leave beer untouched in bizarre burglary in Germany

Police in Germany are hunting burglars who broke into shop and stole the caps from some 1,200 bottles of beer but left the drinks otherwise completely untouched.

Essen Police believe the heist was part of a scheme to collect points for a competition, with dozens of "good luck try again" caps being left behind at the scene.

Bose speakers or a Black & Decker cordless drill are among the prizes customers can win as part of the Koenig Pilsner offer.

The scale of the theft has prompted police to speculate more than one person was involved, which is said to have taken place on Sunday night in the city of Muelheim an der Ruhr in the west of Germany.

So far police have no suspects.