During the serene Christmas period, thieves took advantage of the quietness to break into a German retail bank’s vault and abscond with at least 10 million euros’ ($NZ20.3m) worth of money and valuables from customers’ deposit boxes, as reported by the police.
The culprits drilled through a sturdy concrete wall at a Sparkasse bank branch in the western city of Gelsenkirchen, penetrating several thousand safe deposit boxes and making off with a sum estimated in the double-digit millions of euros, according to a police statement.
In Germany, most shops and banks shut down over the Christmas period beginning on the evening of December 24. It was only after a fire alarm was triggered in the early hours of Monday, December 29, that the police discovered the breach.
A crowd of upset customers gathered outside the bank on Tuesday, demanding to be let in with loud chants.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re not receiving any information,” a man told the Welt broadcaster while waiting outside the branch. He mentioned that he had been using the safe for 25 years to store his savings for retirement.
Another man shared that he used his deposit box to keep cash and jewelry for his family.
A spokesperson for the Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment.
According to police, witnesses saw several men carrying large bags in the stairwell of an adjacent parking garage on Saturday night.
There were also reports of a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early on Monday morning with masked individuals inside. The car’s license plate belonged to a vehicle stolen in Hanover, which is over 200 kilometers northeast of Gelsenkirchen, as per police.
