A 13-year-old girl was attacked on Tuesday morning on her way to school in Ostbevern in Münsterland and her hands were tied with cable ties. Passers-by found the girl and informed the emergency services. The 13-year-old was taken to the hospital. She was initially unconscious, police said, but then regained consciousness. She only suffered minor injuries. The girl was not tied to a tree.

The background to the case is still unclear. According to the police, the girl could not remember the incident when she was first questioned. The police searched the area around the site in a wooded area with hundreds and dogs, but found nothing, a spokeswoman said. Now witnesses would have to be questioned and the process would have to be put together like a puzzle.

A couple found the eighth grader, who attends a high school in Ostbevern. According to the spokeswoman, the couple noticed a bicycle and a backpack on the side of the road while walking in the forest strip. Then the couple discovered the girl and informed the emergency services.

According to the spokeswoman, there is a construction site next to the site. Workers from there helped with first aid, she said.