POLICE in Germany are hunting for thieves who broke into an off-license shop and opened 1,000 beer bottles without drinking a single drop.

    The thieves targeted a store in Duisburg, in the west of the country, after pallets of the beer were delivered from a nearby brewery.

    Police were called to the store after reports that it had been broken into by someone climbing over a fence. They then went straight to a storage yard at the back of the store, where the beer was being kept.

    And officers believe that none of the beer called Konig Pilsener, was consumed because the thieves were only looking for bottle tops that would entitle them to win a prize, as part of a competition.

    Officers who attended the store also found dozens of bottle tops that were not winners strewn across the floor.

    They also checked the till and found no money or other goods had been taken.

    A police statement said, “Apparently, they opened well over 1,000 bottles just to get to the tokens attached to the bottle caps.” It is unclear what brewers King Brewery were offering as a prize for the winning caps.

    A spokesman for the company said they did not want to comment until police finished their investigation.

    Police are now appealing for information and witnesses who may have seen anything suspicious in the area.(SD-Agencies)