A woman was stunned when she spotted what appeared to be a backpack at the bottom of a lake that was full of jewellery.
The incident took place at the lake in Kaarst, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, on Sunday, 15th December, near a bridge.
A police patrol was called to the scene and once there, the officers were able to confirm the strange discovery.
According to the police, the mysterious lake treasure was in fact an orange pillowcase filled with an initially unknown content.
Next to it were individual wristwatches on the lake bed, that were visible from the bridge.
When asked how the jewellery could be recovered from the lake bed, a fisherman, not named but 58 years old, from Kaarst, offered to help the police.
The man was able to recover the pillowcase and its contents from the lake. Inside were various jewellery boxes filled with pearl necklaces, bracelets, necklaces, gold and silver rings, wristwatches, costume jewellery and pendants.

A swimmer who enjoys the lake’s cold winter waters, not named either, but 46, from the nearby town of Moenchengladbach, also helped. He then fished another watch out of the water and handed it over to the officers.
The images from the Rhein-Kreis Neuss District Police Authority on 16th December saying: “On Sunday (15th December), at approximately 10:45 am, a citizen reported to the police station in Kaarst, stating that she had discovered a rucksack containing various jewellery items at the bottom of the Kaarster See near the connecting bridge.
“The officers dispatched to the scene followed up on the information and found an orange pillowcase and wristwatches.
“To recover the jewellery from the lakebed, they received assistance from a 58-year-old angler from Kaarst.
“The man successfully retrieved the pillowcase and its contents from the lake. Inside the jewellery containers were items such as pearl necklaces, bracelets, chains, gold and silver rings, wristwatches, costume rings, and pendants.
“A 46-year-old man from Moenchengladbach, who was ice bathing at the site, also offered his help. He managed to retrieve a wristwatch from the water.

“The police express their gratitude to the brave witnesses for their assistance.
“It is possible that the jewellery could be stolen property.”
The police said they are looking for witnesses to come forwards and help with identifying the owners of the jewels.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below.
Story By: Joseph Golder, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
The Ananova page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.