Thieves break into German bank vault from parking lot, steal $35 million in cash and valuables

Sedan — Thieves used a large drill to break into the vault of a German savings bank and steal cash, gold and jewelry worth about 30 million euros ($35 million), police said Tuesday.

In the heist in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, thieves broke into more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes, they said.

While the criminals remained at large, hundreds of struggling bank customers gathered outside the branch on Tuesday demanding information, but police kept them at bay.

According to the police, the thieves entered the underground chamber of the Sparkasse savings bank from a parking lot.

Investigators suspect the gang spent much of the weekend inside, opening drop boxes.

The theft came to light after a fire alarm was activated in the early hours of Monday and emergency services discovered the hole.

Witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags on the steps of the car park during the night from Saturday to Sunday.

CCTV footage also shows a black Audi RS 6 leaving the car park early on Monday morning, with masked people inside.

The car’s license plate had previously been stolen in the city of Hannover, according to the police.

A police spokesman told News the robbery was “executed in a very professional manner”, comparing it to the heist movie “Ocean’s Eleven”.

“To plan and carry out this must have involved a great deal of prior knowledge and/or a great deal of criminal energy,” he said.

The police said that the more than 3,000 boxes had an average insurance value of 10,000 euros and therefore estimated the damage at around 30 million euros.

The theft comes amid ongoing measures by the administrators of one of Europe’s most famous museums, the Louvre in Paris, to strengthen security following a brazen heist in which thieves broke through an upstairs window to steal French crown jewels valued at approximately $102 million. the four Suspected thieves have been arrestedbut none of the state treasures have been recovered.

Several robbery victims in Germany told police officers that their losses far exceeded the insured value of their safe deposit boxes.

The police spokesman said “disgruntled customers” were outside the bank branch, which did not open for security reasons, after employees had been threatened.

“We are still on site, keeping an eye on things,” he said, adding that “the situation has calmed down considerably.”