Massive hole dug into bank vault over Christmas and £30,000,000 in gold taken

METRO UK ^ | 31 Dec 2025 | Josh Milton

[DUMBGRUNT]

One of the biggest bank heists in German history took place over Christmas – and no one noticed for days.

Inside the underground vault, bank robbers emptied most of the 3,300 safety deposit boxes rented to 2,700 customers for several hours.

At least 2,500 people banking with Sparkasse were affected, with officials advising customers to just assume their belongings were stolen.

Other customers questioned the bank’s security measures, noting that even Lidl and Aldi supermarkets have motion detectors.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Chit/Chat; Travel
KEYWORDS: germany

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

A drive up storage locker would have been more secure, and less attractive.

[rollo tomasi]

Did some female member of the Royal Family get photograph having a bisexual orgy with third world militants as well as high-class female escorts again?

[Mouton]

banking with Sparkasse

Would you bank with a company called spark ass??

[wally_bert]

I forgot about that one.

[fso301]

I was not aware that folks can rent those for several hours.

Might come in handy for those taking advantage of nearby hotels hourly rates.

[abb]

Reckon any of the culprits had red hair? Or any of the nearby shop owners?

[TexasGator]

“Holesaw, not a drill.”

Drill, not a holesaw.

[OpusatFR]

“Well, My Safety Deposit Box was full to the brim with a giant gold ingot, at today’s spot, is worth ...”

That would be nice if only. The banks do not bear any responsibility for the contents of your box. You have no recourse.

[Jim from C-Town]

They are only insured for 9,000# each or about $12K

[SaxxonWoods]

Store £30,000,000 of gold in a vault people can just dig into, no steel or concrete walls, ceiling, floor? Not even an alarm to warn a wall has been breached? No cameras?

[SaxxonWoods]

“Well, My Safety Deposit Box was full to the brim with a giant gold ingot, at today’s spot, is worth .....”

And you didn’t bother to register it with your insurance company? Gee, that’s a shame...

[Karl Spooner]

Please rate our customer service after this bank robbery

"Another added: ‘Where is the security here? I deposited all my savings here. I’m a blue-collar worker. It’s all gone.’"

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"Sparkasse has asked customers to avoid visiting the bank and said it is working with the insurance company."

"Following the 2025 heist at the Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen branch, the bank officially advised affected customers to check their home insurance (Hausratversicherung) policies for additional coverage."

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”Holesaw, not a drill.”

Coredrill.
See #6; that is what it says on all of his trucks.

[KingLudd]

Everyone knows the best tool for getting into a bank vault is a 20 mm Oerlikon cannon.

[faucetman]

I thought Simon Gruber died?

[Major Matt Mason]

Since it is Germany, I wonder if it is Islamist trash that were the perps.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I’m really surprised the UK cops fell for the old Hollywood gag.

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”Did your father or grandfather happen to serve in the 90th Infantry Division during World War II?”

My cousins were moving their father’s old Army footlocker...

And saw two old socks filled with something???

He said they spent the night inside a bombed-out German factory. There was a commotion, and the guys said get some, it’s good stuff spilled on the floor?

He had a pair of socks that he filled and knotted the ends...

It was powered silver; they cashed it in around 1980.
About $1,500!

[frank ballenger]

From the Nicolas Cage movie The Trust (2016).
...David acquires blueprints from the county planning office and discovers that the gang has built a large safe in the back of an industrial freezer in the building....They map out the exact location of the safe and acquire a floor-standing drill press and a diamond-tipped drill from Germany to drill into the safe door....

The complicated plan requires them to drill into the safe door from the residential apartment above the freezer, to allow them to attack the safe without triggering “failsafe” door locks.

On the day of the theft, the two break into the apartment above the freezer...They use up two regular drill bits going through the concrete that divides the two spaces. They then use the diamond-tipped drill to go into the safe door, but the drill press stops working when a drive belt breaks. Having no spare belts, the two build an improvised explosive to finish the hole.

Once the hole is completed, Jim watches the safe’s tumblers using a long flexible cystoscope, while David manipulates the safe’s dial. As each number is identified, David writes it on the safe door. When the door is opened, the two discover that the high-tech vault is filled with extraordinary high-value gems and cash...

[DUMBGRUNT]

--"storage locker would have been more secure," A building I worked in added a savings and loan on the ground floor. The vault with a massive door was in the corner of the building, all brick and block, no actual concrete. They claimed it was full of sensors and sensor wires. One day, a garbage truck clipped the corner of the building. No money fell out, but the alarms went off.