The value of the loot from a break-in at a Sparkasse branch in Gelsenkirchen may be included more than 100 million euros. As the dpa news agency reports, citing security circles, individual customers stated that they had each stored more than 500,000 euros in their lockers.
According to information from the newspaper Picture The origin of the money sometimes seems strange to the investigators. It could be black money or money from clans, it was said. Officially, those affected often talk about “wedding money,” reported dpa.
Emergency services discovered the break-in on Monday morning after an alarm from the fire alarm system. The perpetrators broke into almost all 3,250 customer lockers at the Sparkasse branch in the Buer district. They broke into an archive room, from which they drilled a large hole into the vault. The robbery may have lasted several days.
Branch remains closed
The loot was initially roughly stated as the insured sum of around 30 million euros. A police spokesman later said: “We are assuming a mid-double-digit million amount.” However, the amount of damage cannot currently be reliably quantified, according to the official statement.
The Sparkasse branch will remain closed for a few more days. The bank said the repair of the break-in damage has not yet been completed. The hole in the vault has now been closed by specialists. Customers should be informed as soon as the branch opens again.
Under notary supervision, savings bank employees register valuables and documents that the perpetrators did not take with them. This will take some time. The savings bank said it deeply regrets the incident and is in close contact with the police.
Police use photos to search for perpetrators
The police released this at the weekend Photos of the masked suspects.
It is a matter of Footage from surveillance cameras. According to a police spokesman, they were recorded on December 29th in the adjacent parking garage from which the burglars had gained access to the bank.
The police are now hoping for information about the people and the cars. After the break-in, investigators followed up on numerous leads. According to the information, there is no hot lead.
