Thieves Steal Ksh4.5 Billion in End-Of-Year Bank Heist

During the silent Christmas holidays, thieves carried out a daring and highly sophisticated break-in at a German retail bank and dug through a reinforced concrete wall to access a vault and steal an estimated €30m (Ksh4.5 billion) of cash and valuables, police have said.

The heist occurred at a Sparkasse savings bank branch in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, where the criminals forced their way into over 3,000 safe deposit boxes full of money, gold, and jewellery.

A police spokesman likened the operation to Hollywood crime thriller Ocean’s Eleven, telling AFP news agency it was ” very professionally executed.”

According to the police, the thieves used a large industrial drill to break through the concrete wall leading to the underground vault room. The breach went unnoticed for days due to widespread closures during the Christmas holiday.

The majority of shops and banks in Germany close from the evening of December 24, creating an opportunity for the criminals to operate without immediate arrest.

This crime was revealed only after a fire alarm was triggered in the early hours of Monday, prompting police and firefighters to search the building.

Parking Garage Escape

Investigators believe that the suspects drove in and out of the bank using a nearby parking garage that was linked to the building at Nienhofstrasse in the Buer district.

The witnesses said they saw some men with huge bags on the staircase leading to the garage on Saturday and Sunday during the night.

Police said video footage shows a black Audi RS 6 driving out of the garage on De-La-Chevallerie-Strasse in the early on Monday morning.

The car was subsequently discovered to have license plates of a stolen car in Hanover, more than 200 kilometres away.

No arrests have been made so far, and the suspects are still at large.

Also Read: Why Buy Bonds Through DhowCSD Instead of a Bank

Angry Customers Demand Answers

The magnitude of the theft angered customers, with dozens of gatherings outside the bank branch on Tuesday, chanting ” Let us in!”

“I couldn’t sleep last night. We are receiving no news, “one man informed the Welt broadcaster, according to Reuters.

He added that he had been using the deposit box for 25 years and that it contained his savings for old age.

A second customer reported that he had put money and jewellery on behalf of his family inside the vault.

It forced the police to secure the entrance of the branch when the tensions grew.

Also Read: CBK Explains How Securities Unlock Affordable Bank Loans

Bank Confirms Widespread Damage

Sparkasse confirmed that 95 percent of the secure deposit boxes were forced open and warned their clients that the likelihood of being affected was “very high.”

The bank said in a statement on its website that the branch would remain closed on Tuesday and announced the setup of a hotline where affected customers could call.

The bank further added that the contents of every deposit box are insured up to Ksh1.5 million, advising its customers to verify whether they have supplementary insurance under their home insurance policies.

A spokesman of Sparkasse in Gelsenkirchen did not respond promptly to additional requests of comments.

Follow our WhatsApp Channel and WhatsApp Community for instant news updates

An image of dozens of people captured outside the bank demanding to be let in
Image/CNN.