GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Thieves drilled into a Sparkasse bank vault during the Christmas shutdown and looted thousands of safe-deposit boxes worth tens of millions of euros, police said, Dec. 31, 2025.
In the Gelsenkirchen bank heist, investigators say the crew used the holiday closure to work largely undetected, entering from an adjacent parking garage and boring through a thick concrete wall before forcing open box after box.
Gelsenkirchen bank heist: what investigators say happened
In a police statement, investigators said witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags in the stairwell of a nearby parking garage overnight from Dec. 27 into Dec. 28. Detectives later reviewed video that they say shows a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early Monday with masked occupants; police said the license plate had been stolen earlier in Hannover.
The break-in was discovered shortly before 4 a.m. Monday, Dec. 29, after a fire alarm sent officers and firefighters to the branch in the Buer district. Police also said a fire alarm at the building on Dec. 27 prompted a response but no damage was found at the time; the response is now under review.
Officials have not given a final accounting of what was taken, and investigators cautioned that the value will depend on what customers stored inside. A police spokesperson told The Associated Press that early estimates ranged from 10 million to 90 million euros. Reuters reported police initially described the losses as at least 10 million euros and in the “double-digit millions.”
The bank said more than 95% of its customer boxes at the branch were affected and urged clients to assume their boxes were forced open until notified. In an advisory to customers, Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen said each box is insured up to 10,300 euros unless customers arranged additional coverage, and it asked clients to prepare an inventory list and provide proof of value where possible.
Outside the branch, anxious customers demanded answers as police secured the area. “I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” one man told German broadcaster Welt TV, according to Reuters. Deutsche Welle reported that police described the operation as highly professional and asked customers to contact the bank directly while investigators compile victim reports.
Why the Gelsenkirchen bank heist echoes earlier high-value raids
The Gelsenkirchen bank heist has revived memories of other holiday-timed, drill-driven vault robberies and high-value thefts. Time’s coverage of the 2015 Hatton Garden burglary in London described thieves drilling through concrete to reach a safe-deposit vault over a long holiday weekend. In Germany, a 2017 Reuters report detailed the theft of a 100-kilogram “Big Maple Leaf” gold coin from Berlin’s Bode Museum, and The Guardian’s 2019 reporting chronicled the Dresden Green Vault museum heist, in which historic jewels described as “of immeasurable worth” were stolen.
For now, investigators say the priority in the Gelsenkirchen bank heist is identifying the suspects and tracing any getaway vehicles or stolen goods. Police say witnesses who saw unusual activity near the parking garage during the holiday period should come forward.
