Police in Hamm and Cologne have arrested three suspects over an alleged fraud using counterfeit cash to buy a high-value pocket watch. A 54-year-old had advertised the rare, expensive timepiece on an online sales platform. In July, he met two suspects at a hotel in Cologne, where they allegedly paid for the watch using counterfeit banknotes worth several tens of thousands of euros alongside a smaller amount of genuine money. Only after the men left did the seller notice the payment was mixed with fake notes. He alerted the police, triggering an investigation. In the run-up to the arrests, investigators identified three people allegedly involved in the scheme. On Thursday morning, police carried out searches of seven locations and issued arrest warrants for two suspects, aged 21 and 24, in Hamm. A separate arrest had already been carried out on 22 September, when police searched three apartments in Hamm and Hagen and detained a 24-year-old. Police allege that the earlier suspect handed over the counterfeit money at the hotel and received the pocket watch in return. Authorities also allege that one suspect planned the deal, another organized the counterfeit cash, and a third drove the men to the hotel. The latest step reported is the execution of arrest warrants, with the suspects in custody pending further proceedings.