Criminals are believed to have stolen around £26million worth of cash, gold and jewellery after tunnelling into the underground vault of a German savings bank during the Christmas holiday period.
The theft targeted a Sparkasse bank branch in Gelsenkirchen in western Germany, where suspects drilled through a wall from an adjoining underground car park to gain access to the vault.
Investigators said the gang used heavy drilling equipment to breach the reinforced structure without triggering immediate detection.
Once inside, the offenders broke into more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes held within the vault.
Police believe the suspects spent several hours inside the building, potentially operating across much of the weekend while the branch was closed.
Thousands of customers who stored valuables at the branch have been left uncertain about the extent of their losses.
The crime was discovered in the early hours of Monday after emergency services responded to a fire alarm at the premises.
Officers attending the scene found a large hole cut through the vault wall, leading directly into the secure storage area.
Witnesses told police they saw several men carrying large bags through the stairwell of the car park during the night between Saturday and Sunday.
CCTV footage later captured a black Audi RS6 leaving the underground car park shortly before dawn on Monday.
Masked individuals were visible inside the vehicle, according to police.
Criminals stole £26million worth of cash, gold and jewellery, it's believed
|Police Gelsenkirchen
Authorities confirmed the number plates attached to the car had previously been stolen in the city of Hanover.
Police said the timing of the burglary appeared to be deliberate, as the Christmas break meant the bank was closed and there was limited activity in and around the building.
Investigators believe this allowed the gang to operate largely undisturbed for an extended period.
A police spokesman said the break-in showed a high level of planning and technical ability.
The spokesman said: "This was indeed very professionally executed."
He added: "A great deal of prior knowledge and or a great deal of criminal energy must have been involved to plan and carry this out."
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Officers have estimated the financial losses at around €30million
|GETTY
The figure was calculated using the average insured value of €10,000 per deposit box across the more than 3,000 boxes that were accessed.
Police said several affected customers have since reported that the value of items stolen from their boxes exceeded the insurance cover they had in place.
The discrepancy means the total losses could ultimately be higher than the current estimate.
Investigators believe the suspects had detailed knowledge of the bank’s layout.
Police said this included an understanding of where the vault was located in relation to the car park.
The method used to enter the vault has raised questions about whether the offenders had prior access to building plans or carried out extensive surveillance.
On Tuesday, hundreds of customers gathered outside the Sparkasse branch in the Buer district of Gelsenkirchen.
Many were seeking information about the condition of their safe deposit boxes and the likelihood of recovering stolen items.
Police officers were deployed to the scene to manage the crowd and maintain order.
The bank branch remained closed following the incident.
Police confirmed the closure was partly due to security concerns after staff received threats from angry customers.
A spokesman said officers continued to monitor the situation.
"We are still on site keeping an eye on things, the situation has calmed down considerably."
The investigation remains ongoing
|GETTY
The investigation is ongoing as detectives analyse forensic evidence and review CCTV footage from the surrounding area.
Police have not confirmed how many suspects they believe were involved in the operation.
No arrests have been made so far and the perpetrators remain at large.
Authorities said enquiries are continuing to establish the identities of those responsible and to determine whether the gang may be linked to similar crimes elsewhere in Germany.
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