Bielefeld (dpa / lnw) - After the theft of a painting from a museum in Bielefeld in April, the alleged perpetrator turned himself in to the police about three weeks later. The 31-year-old reported herself to the police in Hamburg in mid-May, as the Bielefeld police announced on Wednesday. In the meantime, the missing painting "Portrait of a Young Woman" by the Dutch painter Peter Aertsen (around 1509 - 1575) was being sought. In order not to jeopardize the investigation, only now has the self-reporting of the Hamburg resident been informed, said a police spokeswoman for the dpa. The work of art in the museum in Ravensberger Park is still gone.
According to the alleged thief, the picture had already been lost on the evening of the crime. A suitcase is said to have been stolen from her in front of a shop on Hamburg's Reeperbahn.
According to the investigation so far, the woman had carried the picture out of the museum without a protective cover. The work of art was not found during searches at an acquaintance of the woman in Warendorf and in the Hamburg woman's apartment. The woman has not yet been noticed by the police. Her motive remains unclear, the statement said.
The work "Portrait of a Young Woman" by Dutch painter Pieter Aertsen had been separated from its wooden frame before it was stolen. The police are still looking for witnesses who can provide information about the missing picture.
