The police in the district of Schaumburg (Lower Saxony) have moved out to a not-so-everyday operation. The descriptions of witnesses sounded dramatic at first - but the victim had an explanation.

A cyclist and a hunter independently informed the police on Wednesday evening about a man lying on the ground near a raised hide in the 40 square kilometer Schaumburg Forest. "The absolutely helpless person was tied with his arms and hands behind his back. His legs and feet were also tied with ropes. In addition, the fully clothed man wore women's tights pulled over his head," said the Nienburg/Schaumburg police inspection in a statement.

The 51-year-old from Porta Westfalica gave the police an explanation for the unfortunate situation: He had arranged to meet an internet acquaintance nearby and later let her tie him up as part of a "love game" in the forest. Then, after a phone call, the woman left the forest "quickly and without comment" and left him behind.

He was unable to reach a cutter knife he had taken "for such cases" in his clothes because of the bondage and instead drew attention to himself by shouting.

The man was unharmed, police said. It is not known who the woman is. Investigations are now underway into failure to provide assistance or a possible deprivation of liberty against the unknown.

Without the attentive witnesses, the case could have gone less smoothly. On Thursday night, temperatures in the region were just above freezing.

Source: Nienburg/Schaumburg police inspection, DPA and AFP news agencies