Masked Thieves Raid German Bank Vault, Steal at Least €31 Million

Masked thieves drove into a garage at a Sparkasse branch in Gelsenkirchen and forced their way into the bank’s archive, police said. The robbers drilled through a thick wall to create a hole large enough to crawl through, then spent hours opening private lockboxes, likely using crowbars.

Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen 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, or about $36 million, prompting comparisons with the Green Vault robbery of 2019. “It was the work of professionals,” said Thomas Nowaczyk, a police spokesman.

Authorities said many details remain unclear, including the robbers’ identities and number. Security cameras recorded the group using a black Audi station wagon with stolen plates and a white Mercedes van to carry away the haul. The thieves paid for a parking token for the Audi and left it in place while forcing the garage barrier for the van.

A fire alarm in the complex went off at 3:58 a.m., officials said. Each box is insured for up to €10,300, but many customers keep valuables of undeclared or unknown worth in bank vaults, meaning the actual loss may be much higher than the insured sum. When news of the theft spread, as many as 200 customers gathered at the bank demanding access to their boxes; some grew hostile and chanted, “We want in, we want in,” according to Deutsche Presse-Agentur.

Key Topics

Crypto, France, World, Germany, Bank Heist, Gelsenkirchen, Sparkasse