AgaaMuza and the Cologne Robot Case: Police Investigate Two Teenagers

The streamer account AgaaMuza is being linked on social networks to an incident in Cologne in which a roughly 1.20-meter-tall robot is alleged to have touched a 16-year-old girl indecently around midnight on Saturday. Police have opened an investigation into the device's 16-year-old owner and a 19-year-old companion. Police have not confirmed whether the operator of the account is the same person as the accused; they are not releasing any names.

What happened in Cologne?

According to a police statement on Facebook, the girl was standing with friends outside a fast-food outlet near the city center when the red-and-gold robot approached from behind. The device is alleged to have grabbed the 16-year-old's buttocks and made thrusting motions before she screamed and walked away. According to The Daily Jagran, reports quote police as saying the incident took place on Hohenzollernring; India Today Global puts the time at late on October 10.

North Rhine-Westphalia police said the owner and the companion had probably livestreamed the events on social media and commented on them. According to Verity, the stream is said to have run on TikTok, among other platforms. Details about the companion differ: police refer to a 19-year-old female companion, while several media outlets refer to a 19-year-old male companion.

How did police find the robot?

According to police, emergency services were alerted; the two suspects were found a block away shortly afterwards. Officers discovered the robot in the trunk of a car, where the teenager had stowed it. According to News18, the vehicle was a VW sedan.

In a photo released by police, the robot is wearing a black mustache, a gold-colored chain and a white vest. In addition to the device, investigators seized two mobile phones belonging to the suspects. According to News18, police are investigating on suspicion of sexual harassment.

Was the robot being controlled deliberately?

According to police, the central question of the investigation is whether someone was deliberately controlling the robot's movements at the moment of the incident. That examination is still ongoing; based on the available information, no result has been reached so far.

According to Verity, Cologne police also criticized "inappropriate" comments about the case on Facebook on Tuesday. They warned that sharing or making fun of such incidents could worsen the consequences for a victim.

What role does the AgaaMuza account play?

The TikTok account "agaamuzareal," using the name AgaaMuza, lists around 139,700 followers and 2.6 million likes and links to channels on Twitch, Instagram and YouTube. Under a video about the case shared there, the robot is called "Ahmed"; it is said to have approached the girl as if to hug her. The video also claims the robot resisted when it was seized and was "switched off and taken into custody." This version of events has not been confirmed by police.

Shortly afterwards, according to the editorial team, another video was published on the account showing a different robot as a prisoner. Whether the account's operator is taking the investigation seriously cannot be inferred from this. There has been no statement from AgaaMuza on the case.