ID dropped by bank vault burglars pictured innocent teacher

BERLIN, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Police in Germany said a suspect photo released in a $13.6 million bank heist actually depicted a high school teacher who was not involved in the crime.

Investigators said the picture released Monday was from an ID card apparently dropped by burglars who tunneled into a Berlin Volksbank branch's vault and took $13.6 million worth of cash and valuables earlier this month, TheLocal.de reported Thursday.

However, police said they were soon contacted by a high school teacher in Bavaria who recognized his own picture from an ID card stolen in 2004. Investigators said the teacher was not involved in the heist and they do not know how his picture ended up on the counterfeit Dutch ID card found among the debris in the tunnel.

Police previously released a picture of a man believed to be connected to the bank robbery, only to announce the man had been cleared of suspicion a day later.