Thieves have executed a multi-million pound heist in Germany, drilling into a bank vault and looting thousands of safety deposit boxes over the Christmas holidays.
The Christmas Holiday Break-In
The sophisticated burglary targeted a Sparkasse savings bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen. Police believe the gang capitalised on the quiet festive period, entering the building through an adjacent parking garage.
Witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags in the garage stairwell overnight on Saturday, 28 December 2025. Unreleased CCTV footage is said to show a black Audi RS 6 leaving the scene early on Monday morning, 30 December.
How the Elaborate Heist Unfolded
According to investigators, the vehicle used had been stolen in Hanover, approximately 150 miles away. Masked suspects were seen inside, with one operating the exit barrier of the garage.
Images from the ransacked vault reveal a circular hole drilled through a thick wall, with the contents of safety deposit boxes scattered across the floor. Initial police estimates place the value of the stolen valuables in the tens of millions of euros.
Intriguingly, a fire alarm was triggered at the bank on Saturday around 6.15am, prompting a response from police and firefighters. They found no evidence of damage at the time, and the full scale of the bank vault robbery was not discovered until Monday morning.
Aftermath and Customer Impact
On Tuesday morning, potential victims gathered outside the locked doors of the Sparkasse bank branch in Buer, only to be told by police to return home, as reported by local media.
The bank has confirmed the breach on its website, stating: "Over the Christmas holidays, the customer safe deposit box area of the Buer branch was broken into. More than 95% of the customer safe deposit boxes were forced open by as-yet-unknown perpetrators."
Due to the extensive damage, customer access remains suspended indefinitely. The branch is closed, and the bank has set up a dedicated hotline for affected customers.
Police investigations into the major safety deposit box theft are ongoing as they pursue the organised crime group responsible for one of Germany's most audacious recent heists.
