Christmas thriller in Germany: robbers drill into a bank and rob 3,000 safes (4 photos + 2 videos)
One of the most daring bank robberies in decades has taken place in Germany. It's a classic Ocean's Eleven-style tunnel heist, but with German precision. 
At the Sparkasse branch in the Bür district of Gelsenkirchen, robbers emptied the safe deposit boxes of between 10 and 90 million euros. It all happened during the Christmas holidays of 2025, when the country was on holiday and the banks were closed. 
The criminals broke into a nearby underground parking garage, brought a professional drilling rig, and over the course of several days drilled a massive hole through a 40-centimeter-thick concrete wall directly into the vault. They broke into approximately 3,000 of the 3,250 safes. They stole everything that wasn't nailed to the floor: cash, gold, jewelry, and family heirlooms. 
The exact amount of damage is unknown, as banks don't know the contents of the safe-deposit boxes, but preliminary estimates are quite impressive. Experts say the thieves managed to get their hands on tens of millions of euros.
The robbery was only discovered on the morning of December 29th, when a smoke alarm from the work went off. The robbers were professional, leaving almost no DNA evidence; they set small fires to conceal their identity. The only clue is a black Audi RS6 with false license plates, in which they drove off with large bags.
Hundreds of customers gathered in a panic outside the bank, demanding access to their safes, though it's unclear why they need empty safes now. Many lost uninsured valuables.
We're waiting for the film adaptation; it wasn't in vain that people tried so hard to drill that hole.
