A parking inspector and his spouse have been detained on suspicion of misappropriating over €1m out of the coin-operated meters of a small town in Germany.
The unnamed city worker is thought to have removed cash out of street meters in Kempten on numerous instances and placed them in financial accounts that his spouse had access to, local police stated in a statement.
A money laundering report by a bank notified investigators to the alleged theft. The attendant has been accused with numerous charges of embezzlement, while his spouse is charged with multiple counts of aiding and abetting the crime.
Kempten Mayor Thomas Kiechle expressed he was shocked and disappointed by the claims.
In October, the local public prosecutor's office were informed that money was repeatedly being deposited into several accounts, according to reports.
Officers then raided office premises in the morning of 24 November, the very day that a man in his forties and a woman in her late thirties were arrested.
They are now being held in separate detention facilities.
It is not clear how much time it might have required the couple to accumulate the sum.
In response to the accusations, the mayor declared the formation of a commission to review previous work processes, identify possible flaws, and reliably correct them for the coming years.
Kiechle noted that the names of the individuals could not at this time be released due to the ongoing probe and confidentiality issues.
In a official comment, Kiechle said: "I naturally back the legal authorities and the law enforcement in their detailed investigation of the claims."
"Until the proceedings are resolved, the presumption of innocence stands," he added.
The town is one of the oldest settlements in Germany. Situated in the country's south, it sits under the hills of the Allgäu region and has approximately 70,000 inhabitants.
