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Police Begin Interviews of More Than 3,000 Victims in Gelsenkirchen Sparkasse Heist

The weeks-long intake will supply leads to a 200-strong special commission, helping victims substantiate losses and potential claims.

Overview

  • Appointments are being scheduled via a dedicated hotline (0209 365 1661) for in‑person statements in rented offices in Gelsenkirchen.
  • Several hundred victims have already booked slots, with Monday fully booked and additional availability later in the week, according to police.
  • Investigators are cataloguing hundreds of thousands of recovered items from a vault that was chemically contaminated to obscure traces.
  • Police still report no arrests as loss estimates shift from a mid double‑digit million euro figure to the possibility of triple‑digit millions.
  • Law firms say they are preparing initial lawsuits against the bank after briefing roughly 600 attendees, while the bank’s information‑sharing has drawn criticism from North Rhine‑Westphalia’s interior minister.