In a brazen raid reminiscent of a Hollywood film, thieves have pulled off one of the largest bank heists in German history, making off with an estimated £30 million in gold, cash, and jewellery from a vault in Gelsenkirchen.
The Heist: A Precision Operation
The audacious theft took place at a Sparkasse bank in the Buer suburb over the Christmas period. Police, who have likened the crime to the plot of Ocean's Eleven, revealed that the perpetrators gained entry through an adjacent car park. They then forced open several doors before using a powerful, 42cm thick industrial drill to bore through the vault's 18-inch concrete wall.
Investigators believe the tool was a 20kg drill fitted with a synthetic diamond-coated crown, which requires constant cooling during operation. Once inside the underground vault, the raiders spent hours systematically emptying the contents of roughly 3,300 safety deposit boxes rented by approximately 2,700 customers.
A Discovery Days Later and Mounting Anger
Remarkably, the crime went unnoticed for days. Police only discovered the scene of devastation just before 3.40am on Monday, December 27, after responding to a fire alarm. Inside, they found thousands of ransacked cash boxes, strewn papers, and smashed valuables scattered around the abandoned drill.
The fallout has left at least 2,500 customers facing devastating losses. Dozens of furious account holders gathered outside the closed bank branch on Tuesday, chanting and demanding access. Many had stored life savings, family gold, and heirlooms intended for weddings, holidays, and grandchildren's futures.
"It's all gone," one affected customer told WELT TV, having deposited money just before going on holiday. Another, a self-described blue-collar worker, lamented, "I deposited all my savings here... It's all gone." Customers have sharply criticised the bank's security, with one noting that even local supermarkets have more robust motion-detection systems.
Investigation and Insurance Fallout
Authorities have formed a specialised task force, named "Core Drill," to hunt for the culprits. They suspect at least two to three people were involved and are appealing for witnesses, after a group of men were seen carrying large bags into a black Audi RS6 with stolen Hanover plates on Saturday night.
Sparkasse bank has advised all customers to assume their boxes were compromised due to the scale of the breach. With each box insured for just under £9,000, the total insurance claim could reach the full £30 million. The vault remains closed due to extensive structural damage, with access granted only in urgent cases.
Police spokesman Thomas Nowaczyk summarised the event to Bild: "This is an exceptionally spectacular case, the kind you usually see on TV. Behind it lie many individual tragedies." The hunt for the Ocean's Eleven-style raiders continues.
