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CRIME

No new clues on kidnapped banker’s wife

The Heidenheim family of kidnapped banker’s wife Maria Bögerl appeared on German television Wednesday night in an appeal for clues to her disappearance. But police said they still have no solid leads on her whereabouts.

No new clues on kidnapped banker's wife
Photo: DPA

The 54-year-old was abducted on the morning of May 12. Her kidnappers reportedly demanded a ransom of several hundred thousand euros from her husband, Sparkasse banking chief in the Heidenheim region of Baden-Württemberg.

The huge police manhunt has been searching for the mother of two, but so far the authorities have found only her abandoned Mercedes A-Class car.

Following her family’s emotional appeal on Wednesday evening on the unsolved crime show Aktenzeichen XY…ungelöst, about 100 calls came in, Heidenheim police spokesman Uli Stöckle told broadcaster ZDF on Thursday morning.

Most of the calls have centred on the location where her car was found and the location of the ransom exchange, he said.

Stöckle spoke of an “extremely difficult” investigation, explaining that the kidnappers have broken off contact, making their demands unclear and putting the health of the victim in question.

According to daily Bild last week, Mr. Bögerl spoke with his wife by phone shortly after her abduction and she told him the kidnapper or kidnappers were threatening to kill her.

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BUSINESS

Elon Musk visits Tesla’s sabotage-hit German factory

Elon Musk travelled Wednesday to Tesla's factory near Berlin to lend his workers "support" after the plant was forced to halt production by a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines.

Elon Musk visits Tesla's sabotage-hit German factory

The Tesla CEO addressed thousands of employees on arrival at the site, accusing “eco-terrorists” of the sabotage as he defended his company’s green credentials.

With his son X AE A-XII in his arms, Musk said: “I am here to support you.”

The billionaire’s visit came a week after power lines supplying the electric carmaker’s only European plant were set on fire in an act of sabotage claimed by a far-left group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group).

READ ALSO: Far-left group claims ‘sabotage’ on Tesla’s German factory

Musk had said then that the attack was “extremely dumb”, while the company said it would cost it several hundred million euros.

A week on, the lights have come back on at the site, but Andre Thierig, who heads the site, said on LinkedIn that it would “take a bit of time” before production is back to full speed.

Industry experts have warned that the reputational impact caused by the sabotage on the region could be more severe than the losses suffered by Tesla.

Tesla’s German plant started production in 2022 following an arduous two-year approval and construction process dogged by administrative and legal obstacles.

Tesla wants to expand the site by 170 hectares and boost production up to one million vehicles annually to feed Europe’s growing demand for electric cars and take on rivals who are shifting away from combustion engine vehicles.

But the plans have annoyed local residents, who voted against the project in a non-binding ballot last month.

After the vote, Tesla said it might have to rethink the plans. Environmental activists opposed to the expansion of the factory have recently also set up a camp in a wooded area near the plant.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

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