Robot seized by police for ‘thrusting up against girl, 16, and touching her buttocks’

| Senior science and technology reporter Published October 12, 2026 4:55pm Updated October 12, 2026 4:55pm The bot also made ‘thrusting motions’ (Picture: Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) A robot wearing a fake moustache had been seized by police for ‘touching a girl’s buttocks’ in Cologne, Germany. A boy, 16, is accused of using the remote-controlled gadget to assault a girl, 16, on Sunday night. She was out with friends, 17 and 18, at a fast-food restaurant at Palmstrasse when the robot approached her from behind. The red and gold device allegedly ‘touched the girl’s buttocks’ and ‘made thrusting motions against her’, the police said. The boy, from Wegberg, and his 19-year-old companion live-streamed the incident on social media from 11.45pm to midnight. Police arrested the teens at the corner of Magnusstrasse and Hohenzollernring. The authorities did not specify if the robot was dressed like this during the alleged crime (Picture: Ministry of the Interior of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia) The boy had stashed the 3’11” robot in the trunk of their Volkswagen. Detectives are investigating whether the robot, which appears to resemble the Marvel comic book hero Iron Man, was controlled remotely. The teenagers’ mobile phones have also been seized. ‘The criminal investigation department is investigating on suspicion of sexual harassment,’ the police added. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Nasa developing humanoid robots to work alongside astronauts on moon and Mars Arrow MORE: Germany’s former spy chief arrested over ‘spying for a foreign agent’ Arrow MORE: Moment missile strikes bridge with Russia ‘trying to slice Kyiv in two’ News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.