German Sparkasse hit by multi-million-euro vault robbery

In a dramatic end-of-year crime, unknown perpetrators have robbed a Sparkasse bank vault in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, resulting in an estimated loss of €34 million.

“Germany is discussing a mega-heist to end the year. <…> The robbers drilled a huge hole in the office wall and ended up directly inside the bank’s vault in Gelsenkirchen. They then stole everything they could get their hands on from the safe deposit boxes and disappeared,” Bild reports.

The vault contained roughly 3,300 safe deposit boxes, rented by 2,700 clients, with each box insured for up to €10,300.

Insurance officials have estimated that total losses could reach €33.9 million, although the exact figure will depend on the number of boxes targeted and the value of their contents, the report noted.

By Vafa Guliyeva