Germany hunts Christmas thieves after Ocean’s Eleven-style bank heist

During the Christmas holidays, thieves robbed a savings bank vault and allegedly stole cash, gold, and jewelry worth up to $105 million, according to the police and the bank.

The perpetrators, who were arrested on Tuesday, used a large drill to cut through a dense concrete wall at a Sparkasse bank branch in Gelsenkirchen, in North Rhine-Westphalia state, to say what police said. The thieves breached a nearby parking garage and obtruded more than 3, 000 safe deposit boxes by forcing open an underground vault room.

According to investigators, the total value of the stolen goods could range between 10 and 90 million euros (between 111.7 million and $105.7 million), according to Thomas Nowaczyk, a police spokesperson.

According to the German news agency dpa, the robbery may be among the largest in the country’s history.

More than 95 percent of the 3, 250 customer safe deposit boxes were broken into by unknown perpetrators, according to Sparkasse, who confirmed that the branch had been “broken into over the Christmas holidays.”

It is thought that the crime occurred over the extended Christmas break when businesses were closed. Police believe the gang may have used the long weekend to break into the deposit boxes and stayed inside the building for a number of days.

A fire alarm was set off the theft, which was the only thing that was made public on Monday morning. The hole in the vault was discovered by emergency responders who arrived at the scene.

Later, witnesses later reported seeing several men carrying large bags through the parking garage stairwell between Saturday and Sunday.

A black Audi RS 6 was also captured on surveillance camera leaving the garage early on Monday morning, with masked people inside. Later, it was discovered that the vehicle had a license plate from a stolen car in Hanover, which is located more than 200 kilometers (124 miles) northeast of Gelsenkirchen.

Ocean’s Eleven-like

A police spokesman compared the operation to a Hollywood-style robbery reminiscent of Ocean’s Eleven and described it as highly organized.

He claimed the break-in was “indeed very professionally executed.”

To plan and carry this out, he added, “a great deal of prior knowledge and/or a great deal of criminal energy must have been involved.”

According to the police, each deposit box’s average insured value is more than 10,000 euros ($11,700). However, officers claimed that several victims had reported that their boxes’ contents were significantly more expensive than the money they had been insured.

Customers gathered outside the bank on Tuesday to demand answers. After staff members reportedly received threats, the branch remained closed for security reasons.

“It was so hard to sleep last night. One man claimed to have used the safe deposit box for 25 years and had stored his retirement savings there, but he said, “We’re getting no information.”

Officers continued to monitor the situation, according to Nowaczyk, the police spokesperson. He continued, “We’re still on site and keeping an eye on things,” adding that “the situation has significantly calmed down.”

The bank stated that it would write to affected customers as soon as possible and had set up a hotline. Additionally, it stated that it would be collaborating with insurers to determine the manner in which compensation claims would be handled.

“We’re shocked,” said Frank Krallmann, a bank press representative. We are assisting our customers and awaiting the arrest of the perpetrators.

The suspects are still at large, according to police, and investigations are ongoing.