Thirty million: In an overnight theft, thieves dig into a German bank vault and take euros

Thirty million: In what authorities called one of the biggest bank heists in the nation’s history, items valued at around Euro 30 million (roughly USD 33 million) were taken from a bank in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen only days before the new year. According to DW, authorities verified the occurrence on Tuesday.

Police cite the degree of planning, technological expertise, and coordination required in the operation as evidence that the heist was executed by a highly organized and well-prepared squad.

The robbers entered the bank via an underground parking garage, according to authorities. To enter the vault area, they then bore through a wall. The suspects used the same method to flee after breaking into thousands of safe-deposit lockers, according to DW.

The break-in caused damage to almost 3,000 safe-deposit boxes. According to reports, the lockers had jewelry, cash, and gold. Police have estimated overall losses at about Euro 30 million, based on an average insured value of Euro 10,000 per box (around USD 10,900).

The crime was discovered on Monday when emergency personnel responded to a fire alarm that had been set off inside the property. Only then did the extent of the heist become clear.

Later, a number of witnesses reported to police that they had saw individuals lugging bulky suitcases via the parking garage stairway at night.

CCTV video purportedly showing a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early on Monday morning is being examined by investigators. Police verified that the car was using a license plate that had previously been stolen from the northern German city of Hanover, and the passengers were wearing masks.

Many clients have congregated outside the impacted bank branch over the last two days to inquire about their assets. Many victims had kept gold and jewelry in their lockers, according to media sources, and some claimed their losses were more than the insured limits, according to DW.

Customers have been advised by police not to make individual complaints at this time. The bank is gathering damage reports and sending them to investigators every day, therefore they have been urged to work directly with them to coordinate.

No one has been arrested as of yet, and the inquiry is still underway.