Overview
- Nearly all of the branch’s roughly 3,250 safe‑deposit boxes were opened, with investigators now considering losses that could reach into the triple‑digit millions of euros.
- Police formed the Soko “Kernbohrer” unit and are analyzing seized electronic data and surveillance footage showing masked perpetrators using cars with fake license plates.
- Authorities say the burglars accessed the site via an adjacent underground parking area and bored a large hole through a thick concrete wall to enter the vault.
- NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul criticized limited cooperation from the bank and defended the police search to secure data carriers and necessary customer records.
- Sparkassen chief Michael Klotz says the branch met recognized technical standards, recently upgraded alarm and fire systems, and notes contracts cap coverage at about €10,300 per box as victim documentation and potential lawsuits proceed.