Thieves drill into a German bank vault and steal tens of millions of euros worth of property
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Thieves stole tens of millions of euros worth of property from safe deposit boxes at a German bank during the holiday Monday, police said.
Police and Sparkasse bank said around 2,700 bank customers were affected by the theft in Gelsenkirchen.
Police spokesman Thomas Nowaczyk said investigators believe the value of the theft was between 10 and 90 million euros ($11.7 million and $105.7 million).
German news agency dpa reported that the theft could be one of Germany’s biggest robberies.
The bank remained closed on Tuesday after about 200 people showed up to get inside, DPA reported.
A fire alarm summoned police officers and firefighters to the bank branch shortly before 4 a.m. Monday morning. They found a hole in the wall and searched the safe. Police believe a large drill was used to break through the vault’s basement wall.
Witnesses told investigators they saw several men carrying large bags in a nearby parking lot over the weekend. Police said video footage from the garage showed masked people inside a stolen vehicle early Monday.
Gelsenkirchen is approximately 192 kilometers (119 miles) northwest of Frankfurt.
