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Gelsenkirchen Bank Heist Hits 3,200 Lockers as Police Probe Parking‑Garage Drill-In

Customers now confront strict insurance limits with onerous proof requirements.

Overview

  • Responders investigating a fire alarm on Monday found evidence of a large break‑in at the Sparkasse branch in Buer.
  • Investigators report the burglars advanced from an adjacent parking garage and used specialist drilling equipment to breach the strongroom.
  • Roughly 3,200 safe‑deposit boxes were forced open, with early loss estimates in the low tens of millions of euros.
  • CCTV shows a high‑powered black car leaving the garage with masked occupants and a licence plate stolen in Hannover, and police are following witness leads.
  • The bank closed access to the locker area, set up a hotline and plans postal notifications, while renters face a €10,300 per‑box liability cap and stringent documentation requirements for claims.