Gelsenkirchen, Germany. – Some 30 million euros (around $35 million) would have been stolen a spectacular raid on the vault of a savings bank branch in the German city of Gelsenkirchen, according to preliminary estimates from researchers. Because of its scale and complexity, the coup raised alarm among authorities and caused a wave of concern among thousands of customers.
According to security sources, they are criminals They broke into or destroyed about 3,200 chestswhich More than 2,500 private and business customers were affected They kept cash, jewelry and valuable documents there. Due to the extent of the loot and the number of victims, the case could develop into one of the largest bank robberies in recent German criminal history.
The attack was discovered early Monday morning trigger a fire alarm in the buildingwhich alerted the emergency services. When the first officers arrived on the scene, they found clear signs of forced entry to internal areas of the bank, including the vault.
From that moment on, the incident triggered a growing wave of anger, uncertainty and fear among affected customers. For the second day in a row, this Tuesday About 200 people gathered in front of the branchbased in the Buer district, to demand explanations about the destination of their belongings and the steps the bank will take to compensate them.
Some protesters shouted “We want in!” and called for more transparency as tension grew outside the building. Amid this climate, several people managed to enter the lobby after overcoming the private security guards who forced them rapid intervention by the police.
The security forces then deployed several patrols, cordoned off the area, secured access to the property and They ordered the branch to be closed completely.
According to the initial investigation, the perpetrators of the robbery entered the building via an entrance Underground parkingfrom where they passed through several interior doors without being discovered. The tour took them to a file room from which They drilled a wall with a special drill for industrial use to enter the safe.
Police secured evidence at the crime scene throughout the day Monday, including Remains of tools, fragments of the perforated wall and recordings from surveillance cameraswhich are now being analyzed Reconstruct the attackers’ route and determine how many people were involved in the operation.
In a statement published on its website, Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen called on its customers to do so Avoid going to the branch during the investigation. “We are currently coordinating with the insurer on how we can make the compensation process as favorable as possible for the customer. We will inform all affected customers individually,” the company said.
The attack in Gelsenkirchen also comes amid growing concerns in Europe about high-profile thefts at both financial and cultural institutions. Months ago, the Louvre Museum in Paris confirmed the theft of several pieces during a robbery that raised renewed alarm about the vulnerability of buildings considered to have the highest standards of security.
In Germany, the attack on the Sparkasse branch also brought back memories of other million-dollar robberies in recent years, in which criminals resorted to increasingly sophisticated methods, from underground tunnels to the use of explosives or special machines.
Meanwhile, how the attack in Gelsenkirchen was planned and carried out continues to be clarified, and those responsible for one of the most shocking coups in recent years in the country are identified. The authorities do not rule out the possibility that it is an organized criminal network with experience in large-scale robberies.
DPA agency
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