Thieves exploited the quiet Christmas holiday to execute a sophisticated heist at a Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. By drilling through a thick concrete wall, the perpetrators accessed the vault and looted several thousand safe deposit boxes. Authorities estimate the total value of stolen cash and jewelry to be in the tens of millions of euros.
Police discovered the breach early Monday after a fire alarm was triggered. Angry victims gathered outside the branch demanding answers about their lost life savings. One devastated man told reporters, “I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” noting he had used the safe for 25 years to secure his retirement funds.
Witnesses reported seeing men carrying heavy bags in a nearby parking garage on Saturday night. Investigators are now searching for a black Audi RS 6 seen fleeing the scene with masked occupants. The getaway vehicle’s license plates were traced back to a car stolen in Hanover, located over 200 kilometers away from the crime scene.