A German man went on trial Wednesday suspected of inflicting damage worth 930,000 euros (USD 1 million) on 642 cars, but prosecutors say he may have damaged twice as many vehicles.
The 26-year-old is believed to have been behind a spate of attacks on cars in the north Bavarian towns of Wuerzburg, Schweinfurt and Veitshochheim between February and April 2018, a spokesman for the Schweinfurt state court told news agency DPA.
In a months-long probe, police were left scratching their heads even after setting up a special unit dubbed "paint scraper".
In the end it was only by chance that the suspect was collared.
A local resident heard scraping sounds outside her home in the early hours of one April 2018 morning and called the police.
At the scene, officers found the suspect carrying a screw.
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But the man is standing trial only for a fraction of the damage he is believed to have caused.
The court dismissed prosecutors' initial attempts to try him over gashes on 1,700 vehicles totalling 2.3 million euros of damage, for lack of evidence.
Now the state must prove a link to every one of the 642 instances of damaged bodywork judges agreed to hear.