Shopper returns computer stuffed with potatoes

Police in Germany have arrested a shopper who tried to get a refund on two computers after allegedly replacing the working parts with potatoes.

Staff at the department store in Kaiserslautern called detectives after the man complained that a machine he'd bought only hours before did not work.

When they opened the computer they found it stuffed full of potatoes. The Guardian reports bemused shop assistants gave the man a new machine free of charge.

But they became suspicious when the customer returned a short time later with another computer - again filled with potatoes.

A spokesman said: "The second time he said he didn't need a computer any more and asked for his money back in cash."

Computer technician Roman Zukoan said: "It is hard to imagine how the potatoes could get into a computer's casing. When computers leave the factory they are packed in plastic to prevent damage from condensation.

If they are running for a long time they get hot and in theory it would be possible to cook a potato in a computer, but who would try that?"