Overview
- Investigators report numerous leads but no arrests after thieves breached almost all of the 3,250 boxes in the Gelsenkirchen-Buer branch by drilling from a parking-garage access into the vault.
- Police are reviewing garage footage showing masked men, a powerful black car with stolen plates, and a possible white van, and they believe the core drill was removed and the operation may have spanned multiple days.
- The bank remains closed and a hotline is active for thousands of affected customers, with initial loss estimates tied to roughly €30 million in insurance coverage though the true haul may be higher.
- A separate incident in Halle (Westphalia) saw four boxes opened during business hours on Tuesday, and police are seeking witnesses as they work to determine how the Schließfach area was accessed.
- In Bonn, investigators confirmed a 22-year-old ex-employee is suspected in a gold theft from two lockers, searched his residences on December 19, and released him after questioning due to no grounds for detention.