Overview
- NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul cited “peculiarities” in the operation — a non‑alarmed, apparently manipulated door, a core drill placed at the correct wall, and untouched boxes that were not rented — calling insider help not unlikely.
- Reporting reconstructs an access route from a neighboring parking garage through restricted areas lacking motion detectors or cameras to an archive room normally opened by code card, where no break‑in traces were found.
- Almost all of roughly 3,250 safe‑deposit boxes were opened between Dec. 23 and Dec. 29, with investigators now viewing triple‑digit million losses as realistic and some estimates topping €100 million; the perpetrators remain at large.
- Sparkasse chief Michael Klotz defended the site’s security upgrades and said the bank’s stability is not at risk, while teams work with police and notaries to identify recovered items and advise customers to document losses.
- A former LKA investigator publicly argued the method points to organized crime and possible insider knowledge, as separate expert views highlighted a wall as a security blind spot in systems focused on doors and windows; authorities earlier searched the bank as part of the probe.