Thieves exploited the quiet Christmas holiday period to drill into the vault of a German retail bank, escaping with at least €10 million worth of cash and valuables from customers’ safe deposit boxes, police have confirmed.
The highly coordinated break-in occurred at a Sparkasse savings bank branch in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany. According to police, the suspects drilled through a thick concrete wall to access the vault, where they forced open several thousand safe deposit boxes, making away with valuables estimated in the double-digit millions of euros.
The crime went undetected for days, as most banks and businesses in Germany close during the Christmas period beginning the evening of December 24. Authorities only discovered the breach in the early hours of Monday, December 29, after a fire alarm was triggered inside the branch.
Police said witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags through the stairwell of a nearby parking garage on Saturday night. There were also reports of a black Audi RS6 leaving the garage early Monday morning with masked occupants. Investigators later confirmed that the vehicle’s license plate belonged to a car stolen in Hanover, more than 200 kilometres away.
Describing the operation as “highly organised and professionally executed,” a police spokesperson likened the robbery to a Hollywood-style heist reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven. Authorities said the scale and precision of the crime suggested extensive planning and insider-level knowledge.
Tensions flared on Tuesday as hundreds of angry customers gathered outside the bank, chanting “Let us in!” and demanding information. Several customers told local media they had stored retirement savings, cash, and jewellery in the deposit boxes for decades.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” one affected customer told Welt broadcaster, adding that he had used the safe deposit box for over 25 years.
Police disclosed that the average insured value of each deposit box was just over €10,000, though many victims reported losses far exceeding their insured amounts. Due to security concerns and reported threats against staff, the branch remains closed.
In a statement, Sparkasse said it has established a hotline for affected customers and is working closely with insurance companies to determine compensation procedures.
“We are shocked,” said bank press spokesperson Frank Krallmann. “We are standing by our customers and hope the perpetrators will be caught.”
Police confirmed that the suspects are still at large and that investigations are ongoing, with officers maintaining a presence at the scene to monitor the situation.
