Robbers stole items value as much as $105bn from safe-deposit packing containers held at a German retail financial institution in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia state, throughout the Christmas vacation, German police mentioned on Tuesday.
The German information company dpa reported that it could rank among the many greatest thefts within the nation’s historical past.
What occurred and what was stolen?
The thieves broke right into a department of Sparkasse financial institution within the metropolis of Gelsenkirchen, in North Rhine-Westphalia state, from an adjoining parking storage, in keeping with the police, in some unspecified time in the future when companies had been closed for the Christmas vacation.
The German state is house to museums and Gothic structure. Its capital, Dusseldorf, is thought for its procuring boulevard and the Rheinturm telecommunications tower.
Utilizing a big drill, the thieves bore by means of a thick concrete wall of the financial institution and gained entry to an underground vault room. Then, they pressured open some 3,000 protected deposit packing containers, earlier than making off with money, gold and jewelry.
A police spokesperson likened the break-in to the film, Ocean’s Eleven, and described it as “very professionally executed”, in keeping with the AFP information company.
“An excessive amount of prior information and/or an excessive amount of prison power should have been concerned to plan and carry this out,” the spokesperson advised the company.
The financial institution mentioned “greater than 95 p.c of the three,250 buyer protected deposit packing containers had been damaged into by unknown perpetrators.”
Police say they had been alerted to the theft when a fireplace alarm went off on Monday, however haven’t confirmed precisely when the theft befell.
How a lot are the stolen objects value?
Investigators estimate the entire worth of the stolen objects to be something between 10 and 90 million euros ($11.8m and $105.7m), in keeping with police spokesperson Thomas Nowaczyk.
Police mentioned the common insured worth of every deposit field was greater than 10,000 euros ($11,700). Nevertheless, officers mentioned a number of victims have reported that the contents of their packing containers had been value considerably greater than the insured quantities.
What do we all know concerning the robbers?
No arrests have been made, and the thieves stay at massive.
Safety digital camera footage confirmed a black Audi RS 6 leaving the financial institution’s parking storage throughout the early hours of Monday, with masked individuals inside.
The police mentioned the automotive’s licence plate had been stolen earlier within the metropolis of Hanover, about 200km (124 miles) northeast of Gelsenkirchen, the place the theft befell.
How have financial institution prospects reacted?
On Tuesday, offended prospects rallied exterior the financial institution department, demanding solutions concerning the theft from the financial institution.
The police spokesperson advised AFP that the financial institution department remained closed for safety causes after threats had been made in opposition to financial institution workers.
“We’re nonetheless on web site, maintaining a tally of issues,” AFP quoted the police spokesperson as saying, including “the scenario has calmed down significantly.”
How has the financial institution responded?
The financial institution is writing to inform all prospects affected by the theft. It additionally arrange a buyer hotline for these affected.
It mentioned it is usually working with insurers to find out how compensation claims will likely be dealt with.
“We’re shocked,” mentioned financial institution press spokesman Frank Krallmann. “We’re standing by our prospects and hope that the perpetrators will likely be caught.”
Which different vital heists have occurred lately?
October 2025: The Louvre, France
In late October, a gang of robbers broke into the Louvre Museum in Paris and stole eight Napoleonic pieces of jewelry in lower than seven minutes. The thieves made off on bikes laden with eight objects courting again to the Napoleonic period, dropping a ninth on their method out.
The stolen objects of jewelry had been estimated to be value $102m.
Up to now, French authorities have arrested eight suspects over the Louvre heist.
The primary 4 suspects, three males and a girl, had been arrested, formally investigated and charged.
The final 4 suspects taken into custody are two males aged 38 and 39, and two ladies aged 31 and 40, from the Paris space. They’re being investigated as potential accomplices. The names of the suspects arrested haven’t been made public.
September 2025: Museum of Pure Historical past, France
On September 30, a 24-year-old Chinese language lady was arrested in Barcelona on suspicion of stealing six gold nuggets from the Nationwide Museum of Pure Historical past in Paris. The gold nuggets had been value about 1.5 million euros ($1.76m).
The lady was arrested whereas making an attempt to eliminate melted gold – it’s unclear who melted it or how. The museum’s alarms and safety system had been disabled in a cyberattack, however it is usually unclear whether or not the thieves had been additionally behind that cyberattack or whether or not the theft was opportunistic.
March 2024: Los Angeles money web site, United States
Thieves stole not less than $30m in money from a GardaWorld facility in Los Angeles over the Easter weekend.
GardaWorld is a world safety firm which gives companies akin to amenities administration, property administration and money dealing with.
Native media known as the heist one of many greatest money heists in LA historical past. There has not been a public announcement indicating that the burglars have been caught.
