Overview
- Police and prosecutors searched the Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen-Buer branch to seize data carriers and necessary customer information for the investigation.
- Interior Minister Herbert Reul said missing information forced authorities to act and suggested the burglars likely knew exactly what to target.
- The thieves reportedly entered via a parking garage and drilled through a wall from an adjacent room into the vault, opening almost all of roughly 3,250 safety deposit boxes.
- Initial police estimates put losses in the mid–double-digit millions of euros, with the total still being assessed and potentially significantly higher.
- Unnamed security sources allege the vault alarm was not active and an eight-digit code opened an archive room, while the bank says it is aiding investigators and compiling requested video and lists takes time.