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31. 01. 13. - 16:00

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31. 01. 13. - 16:00

Cough Up or Its a Crummy End for Your 30 Inch Biscuit

Kathryn Quinn

Pranksters who stole a giant gold plated biscuit from outside a German biscuit factory have sent a bizarre ransom note from the Sesame Street cookie monster.

The note - made of words cut from newspapers - is accompanied by a picture of the TV favourite threatening to gobble up the 30 inch high biscuit stolen from outside the Leibniz factory, Bahlsen, earlier this month.

In the note, the thieves say factory bosses will never see the 50lbs biscuit again unless they donate 1,000 GBP to an animal refuge and give thousands of free biscuits to a local children's hospital.

"But not those biscuits with dark chocolate or without chocolate. I have the biscuit and you want it," adds the ransom demand.

But local police have failed to see the joke and are investigating the theft as a full scale extortion bid.

"It might have been a prank but if so it is one that could have very serious consequences," said a police spokesman.

The biscuit - put above the factory entrance in 1898 - is one of the most iconic images in the German food industry.

The snack's original name, Keks - after the English word cakes - has become German slang for all biscuits.

"It would be like someone stealing a gold plated cup of tea or a bottle of HP sauce in Britain," explained on expert.

A factory spokesman said: "This biscuit means a lot to us, our workers and our customers and it's worthless to the people who stole it.

"Once they've enjoyed their joke, I'd ask them to return it to its rightful place."

Company chairman Werner Bahlsen put up a reward of 1,000 Euros for any information leading to the recovery.

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