Masked Thieves Drill into Sparkasse Vault in Gelsenkirchen and Steal €30 Million in Brazen Christmas Heist

Masked thieves carried out a highly organised burglary at a Sparkasse branch in the Buer district of Gelsenkirchen over the quiet Christmas period.

“Thieves have stolen tens of millions of euros' worth of property from safety deposit boxes in a German bank vault GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany --Thieves stole tens of millions of euros' worth of property from safety deposit boxes inside a German bank vault that they drilled into Monday during the holiday lull, police said”

ABC News

They drilled from an adjacent underground parking garage into the bank's underground vault and forced open thousands of safe-deposit boxes.

ABC News

Police and reporters say the break-in was discovered early Monday when a fire alarm was triggered.

Emergency crews found a large circular hole into the vault, debris and opened boxes scattered across the floor.

Authorities reported the haul at about €30 million in cash, gold and jewellery.

Footage and witness accounts show several masked men carrying large bags and a black Audi RS6 leaving the scene.

The car's plates had reportedly been stolen earlier in Hanover.

Reports indicate thieves breached the vast majority of the branch's safe-deposit boxes.

Authorities and the bank said more than 3,000 boxes were forced open, roughly over 95% of about 3,250 boxes.

Al Jazeera

Initial loss estimates commonly cited are near €30 million.

Several outlets explain that the headline sum is based on average insured values per box, commonly cited at about €10,000.

Al Jazeera notes a much wider estimated range of €10 million to €90 million because some customers report far higher losses than insurance averages suggest.

Multiple outlets and police described the operation as technically sophisticated and very professionally executed.

“Thieves broke into a Sparkasse branch on Nienhofstrasse in the Buer district over the quiet Christmas period; no arrests have been made and the perpetrators remain at large”

BBC

Some sources likened the raid to films; RTE.ie and several West Asian outlets explicitly compared it to Ocean's Eleven.

Others called it Hollywood-style or drew comparisons with Britain's Hatton Garden heist.

Investigators say the gang likely used heavy industrial equipment such as large drills and cooling systems.

They may have spent hours, or even the holiday period, inside the premises to force open the boxes.

In the immediate aftermath, hundreds of distressed customers gathered outside the closed branch demanding answers.

Sparkasse closed the branch and set up communication channels for affected depositors, warning that standard insured limits per safe-deposit box (often cited at around €10,300) may not cover all losses and advising customers to check other insurance.

CNA

Some outlets reported threats against staff and rising anger among customers as authorities continue to appeal for witnesses.

Investigations are ongoing and no arrests have been reported.

“Thieves drilled into a branch’s vault with a drill and took cash, jewelry and other items valued at 30 million euros”

El País

Police continue to analyse CCTV, vehicle movements and witness statements and have appealed for witnesses.

El País

Reporting across outlets shows a consensus that the perpetrators remain at large and that police describe the raid as "very professionally executed."

However, there is variation in how outlets frame the story - tabloid coverage stresses technical minutiae and dramatic parallels to past robberies.

Mainstream outlets emphasise verified police statements and customer impact.

Some international outlets highlight uncertainty in the total value of the theft.