Overview
- The Essen public prosecutor, which cleared several tens of thousands of seized items Tuesday, said the Sparkasse alone will contact clients and handle returns.
- The bank says it can only hand back items that can be matched to an owner, such as named documents or valuables with serial numbers, unless clients provide detailed inventories.
- Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen’s chief called the task a gigantic puzzle and said the plan will prioritize care and security as staff sort and attribute what was left in the vault.
- Police say the investigation by the special commission Kernbohrer continues, and victims who have not yet given statements are ordered to attend interviews via a hotline at 0209 365 1661.
- The post‑Christmas 2025 break‑in used a large core drill to reach the vault and open about 3,100 boxes affecting roughly 2,700 customers, with losses first put in the mid‑tens of millions of euros and reported by some sources as potentially far higher.