Thieves exploited the Christmas holiday closure to drill into a German bank vault, stealing at least €10 million in cash and valuables from customers’ deposit boxes, police said.
Thieves used the quiet Christmas period to drill their way into the vault of a Sparkasse bank branch in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, making off with money and valuables estimated in the double-digit millions of euros, police said on Tuesday.
According to police, the perpetrators drilled through a thick concrete wall before breaking into several thousand safe deposit boxes. Most shops and banks in Germany close from the evening of 24 December for the Christmas holidays.
The crime was discovered in the early hours of Monday, 29 December, after a fire alarm was triggered inside the building.
Dozens of angry customers gathered outside the bank branch on Tuesday, chanting “Let us in!” and demanding information.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” one man told broadcaster Welt, saying he had stored his retirement savings in the deposit box for 25 years.
Another customer said he had kept cash and jewellery belonging to his family in the vault.
Police said witnesses reported seeing several men carrying large bags in the stairwell of a nearby car park on Saturday night.
There were also reports of a black Audi RS 6 leaving the car park early on Monday morning with masked men inside. Police said the vehicle’s licence plate matched that of a car reported stolen in Hanover, more than 200 kilometres north-east of Gelsenkirchen.
A spokesperson for Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The investigation is ongoing.
Seven opposition parties in Georgia have formed a coordinated alliance ahead of upcoming elections, saying it aims...
China’s top leadership has unveiled a new push to turn advanced technologies into large-scale industrial priorities as part of the country&rs...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining mil...
Türkiye’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has described the ongoing U.S.–Israeli military campa...
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack o...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounting diplomatic pressure and geopolitical tensions push the disaster further into the international spotlight.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 3rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment