Christmas Break Heist: €30 Million Stolen in Major German Bank Robbery

As bank employees enjoyed an extended Christmas break in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, a group of robbers carried out a spectacular heist, escaping with cash, gold and jewellery estimated to be worth around €30 million.

The Hollywood-style burglary at a branch of Sparkasse, a major German savings bank, has stunned the country. According to police, the robbers used heavy drilling equipment to break into the bank’s underground vault while the branch was closed over the Christmas holidays.

Investigators said the thieves drilled their way into the vault room from a nearby parking garage and forced open around 3,000 safe-deposit boxes before fleeing with the valuables. The crime came to light in the early hours of Monday, December 29, when a fire alarm was triggered and emergency services were alerted.

Witnesses told police they had seen several men carrying large bags in the parking garage on the nights of Saturday and Sunday. Security camera footage later showed a black Audi RS6 leaving the garage early Monday morning with masked individuals inside.

In Germany, most shops and banks close from the evening of December 24 through the holidays. Police suspect the gang exploited the extended closure, possibly spending several days and nights drilling into the vault undetected.

The discovery of the theft sparked anger and anxiety among customers. On Tuesday, hundreds gathered outside the bank branch, which remained closed for security reasons following threats against staff. Some customers told police that the value of their losses exceeded the insurance limits on their safe-deposit boxes.

A police spokesperson described the break-in as “very professionally executed,” likening it to the film Ocean’s Eleven. “The situation has calmed down considerably,” the spokesperson told AFP, adding that investigations were ongoing.

Authorities estimate the total damage at around €30 million, noting that thousands of the stolen safe-deposit boxes had average insured values of more than €10,000 each.

The bank has since set up a hotline to assist affected customers and begun contacting those whose deposits were compromised. “We are shocked,” said Sparkasse press spokesman Frank Krallmann, as the investigation into one of Germany’s largest recent bank heists continues.