Brazen Heist in Gelsenkirchen Empties Nearly All Bank Lockboxes

Masked thieves drove into a parking garage in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, last weekend and forced their way into a local Sparkasse branch, police said. The robbers broke through a door into the bank's archive room, then drilled through a thick wall to make a hole wide enough to crawl through.

They entered the bank safe and spent hours opening private lockers, reportedly using crowbars. The bank said the thieves had broken into 95 percent of the branch's 3,250 personal lockboxes. The insured value of the contents was at least 31 million euros, about $36 million, though many customers keep valuables of unknown or undeclared worth and the true loss may be higher.

"It was the work of professionals," police spokesman Thomas Nowaczyk said. He added that many details remain unclear, including the identity and number of the robbers. Security camera footage showed a black Audi station wagon with stolen plates and a white Mercedes-Benz van being used to carry away items.

The thieves paid for a parking token for the Audi and left it in the spot; they forced the garage barrier to let the van in and out. A fire alarm in the complex went off at 3:58 a.m. on Sunday, authorities said. As news of the theft spread, up to 200 customers gathered outside the bank demanding access to their valuables.

Key Topics

Crypto, France, World, Bank Robbery, Germany, Gelsenkirchen, Vault Heist