Thieves broke into a German bank vault by drilling and stole millions of euros in cash and valuable items from customers' safe deposit boxes, according to police. The criminals used the quiet time around Christmas to drill through a thick concrete wall at a branch of Sparkasse bank in the western city of Gelsenkirchen.
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| PHOTO: REUTERS |
They then entered thousands of safe deposit boxes and took away an amount of money estimated to be in the millions of euros, the police stated.
Most stores and banks in Germany close during the Christmas season, starting late on December 24.
Police only found out about the break-in after a fire alarm was triggered in the early hours of Monday, December 29.
Dozens of upset customers stood outside the bank on Tuesday, shouting, "Let us in!"
loudly.
One man told the Welt broadcaster that he couldn't sleep the previous night because he was getting no updates.
He said he had used the safe for 25 years, and it held his savings for retirement.
Another man said he used the deposit box to store cash and jewelry for his family.
A spokesperson for the Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen did not immediately comment on the situation.
Witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags in the stairwell of a nearby parking garage on Saturday night.
There were also reports of a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early on Monday morning with masked men inside.
The car's license plate was linked to a stolen vehicle in Hanover, which is over 200 kilometers northeast of Gelsenkirchen, police said.
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