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Prosecutors Decline Tip Reward in Gelsenkirchen Vault Heist Probe

Officials say a bounty would not aid investigators.

Overview

  • The North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Ministry told the state parliament it will not post a reward for tips, saying the case already drew a high number of leads and that public details could harm the probe.
  • More than 200 investigators are assigned to the burglary as police process hundreds of tips and interview thousands of affected safe‑deposit customers.
  • The burglars bored through a reinforced‑concrete wall from an underground garage and opened almost all of about 3,100 safe‑deposit boxes without setting off alarms.
  • Police first put losses in the mid tens of millions of euros, and investigators now warn the haul could reach well into the hundreds of millions.
  • Frustrated victims have marched in Gelsenkirchen and filed damage claims against Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen, with a first court hearing expected at the Essen regional court in early June.