Thieves drill into German bank vault, steal tens of millions of euros’ worth of property
Posted on: Dec 31, 2025 19:52 IST | Posted by: Cbc
Thieves stole tens of millions of eurosâ charles frederick worth of holding from refuge bank boxes interior a German bank vault that they drilled into on Monday during the holiday lull, police said.
Some 2,700 bank customers were affected by the theft in Gelsenkirchen, located about 190 kilometres northwest of Frankfurt, police and the Sparkasse bank said. About 3,000 safety deposit boxes, which made up more than 95 per cent of the bankâs inventory, were broken into.
Thomas Nowaczyk, a police spokesperson, said investigators believe the theft was worth between 10 million and 90 million euros ($16 million to $144.8 million Cdn).
German news agency dpa reported that the theft could be one of Germanyâs largest.
The bank remained closed on Tuesday, when some 200 people showed up demanding to get inside, dpa reported.
WATCH | About 3,000 safety deposit boxes were broken into at German bank:
Thieves drill into German bank vault, steal tens of millions worth of property
Each safety deposit box is insured for 10,300 euros ($16,575 Cdn) unless a bank customer additionally insures it privately, Sparkasse said on its website.
A fire alarm summoned police officers and firefighters to the bank branch shortly before 4 a.m. On Monday. They found a hole in the wall and the vault ransacked. Police believe a large drill was used to break through the vaultâs basement wall.
Witnesses told investigators they saw several men carrying large bags in a nearby parking garage over the weekend. Video footage from the garage shows masked people inside a stolen vehicle early Monday, police said.
The fire alarm was also triggered on Saturday, but authorities did not find any damage.
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