Ocean’s Eleven-style heist sees gang steal €30m in Germany's 'biggest ever break-in' after drilling into bank vault
The gang were seen to pay for their parking ticket before exiting the underground carpark
A gang is thought to have stolen around €30 million as part of a Christmas bank heist that's been likened to the plot of Hollywood blockbuster Ocean’s Eleven.
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The raid took place at the Sparkasse bank in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, over the Christmas break, with police alerted to the break-in on Monday morning despite a fire alarm being triggered nearly 48 hours earlier.
Firefighters arrived at the scene at around 6.15am on Saturday following the alarm but found no evidence of damage.
The large, industrially drilled hole connecting the vault to the an underground carpark through a concrete wall, was only discovered on Monday morning.
It's believed the thieves used a giant drill to tunnel from the neighbouring underground garage into the bank vault room, which contained 3,300 safe deposit boxes, including gold bars, jewellery, cash and other valuables.
A police spokesman likened the heist to the George Clooney and Brad Pitt blockbuster Ocean's Eleven, telling AFP news agency it was "very professionally executed".
"More than 95% of the customer safe deposit boxes were forced open by as-yet-unknown perpetrators," police confirmed.
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It's believed the raid began long before the fire alarm was triggered, with witnesses describing several men carrying a number of large bags in the stairwell linked to the neighbouring car park on Saturday night.
“You don’t find this kind of drill in a hardware store,” the police spokesman continued.
Likening the robbery to the plot of the iconic Hollywood film, the force said the thieves “took advantage of the quiet of the Christmas period”.
“A great deal of prior knowledge and a great deal of criminal energy must have been involved to plan and carry this out.
"Everything was carried out very professionally.”
The suspects have not yet been identified by police, with the perpetrators remaining at large.
Images released of the scene by German police show a large hole drilled in the external wall, with bricks removed and the underground garage visible through the wall.
Deposit boxes can be seen lying open on the shelves lining the room, with valuables scattered across the floor.
Police have identified the suspected getaway vehicles as a white Mercedes van and a black Audi RS 6 fitted with a stolen number plate. The vehicles were driven by masked men and spotted exiting the car park early on Monday morning.
Newly-released CCTV footage also shows the gang pausing to pay for their parking ticket moments before calmly exiting the car park.
It's believed the vehicle had been stolen in Hanover, Germany, located around 150 miles away, according to police.
It's believed that each safety deposit box was insured for €10,000, with the total losses thought to be in excess of €30 million.
Concerned clients were seen to gather on the street outside the bank after news of the raid emerged.
In a statement, the bank’s spokesman appealed for calm. He went on to promise depositors that insurance would be paid.
A statement on the bank's website said the branch would remain closed, with a hotline set up for customers.
"More than 95% of the customer safe deposit boxes were forced open by as-yet-unknown perpetrators," the bank said.
“We are in shock,” a bank spokesperson continued.
“We are standing by our customers and hope that the perpetrators will be caught.”