Heist at German Bank Vault During Christmas Holidays Yields Tens of Millions in Valuables
A major heist took place during the Christmas holidays at the Sparkasse bank's Buer branch in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where thieves drilled a circular hole through the safe deposit area wall to steal valuables worth an estimated tens of millions of euros.
The criminals accessed the vault area via an adjacent parking garage and breached thousands of safe deposit boxes. Witnesses observed several men carrying large bags in the parking garage stairwell overnight on Saturday. CCTV footage showed a black Audi RS 6 leaving the scene early Monday; this car was reportedly stolen in Hanover, approximately 150 miles away.
The suspects wore masks, with one individual operating the exit barrier from inside the vehicle. On Saturday, the bank’s fire alarm was triggered, prompting police and firefighters to respond around 06:15; however, at the time, no damage was found and the break-in only came to light on Monday morning.
As a result of the incident, the branch remains closed and has established a hotline for affected customers. The bank stated that more than 95% of the customer safe deposit boxes were opened, and access to the vault area has been restricted due to extensive damage.
