Thieves drilled their way into the vault of a German savings bank during the Christmas holidays, escaping with millions of euros in cash and valuables from customers’ safe deposit boxes, police said on Tuesday.
The robbery took place at a Sparkasse branch in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, where suspects bored through a reinforced concrete wall and forced open several thousand deposit boxes. Police estimate the losses at no less than 10 million euros, with the final figure expected to be far higher.
Because most banks and businesses in Germany close from the evening of December 24, the crime went undetected until the early hours of Monday, December 29, when a fire alarm was triggered inside the branch.
Dozens of affected customers gathered outside the bank on Tuesday, demanding answers from officials.
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“I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” one man told Welt broadcaster, saying he had stored his retirement savings in the deposit box for 25 years. Another customer said he kept cash and jewellery belonging to his family in the vault.
Police said witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags in a nearby parking garage late on Saturday night. Investigators are also examining reports of a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early Monday with masked occupants. The licence plate was traced to a vehicle stolen in Hanover, more than 200 kilometres northeast of Gelsenkirchen, police said.