Thieves uncap 1,200 beers in German store seeking prize

BERLIN, Germany -- Police in western Germany are looking for thieves who broke into a store selling alcohol and stole the caps off 1,200 bottles of beer - presumably to collect points for a prize contest - yet left the suds themselves untouched.

Essen police said Tuesday the thieves broke into the shop in Muelheim an der Ruhr overnight Sunday and stole the caps from the popular Koenig Pilsner. They kept those with points toward prizes like Bose speakers or a Black & Decker cordless drill, left dozens of "good luck try again" caps on the ground and didn't drink a single beer.

Given the number of caps removed, police say they assume that more than one person was involved in the operation. So far they have no suspects.