GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Thieves used a large drill to break into a safe at a bank in western Germany on Monday, stealing cash and valuables worth approximately $35 million, authorities said.
A police spokesman compared the break-in at the Sparkasse savings bank in Gelsenkirchen to the heist from the film “Ocean’s Eleven,” calling it “very professionally executed.”
“A great deal of prior knowledge and/or a great deal of criminal energy must have been involved to plan and carry this out,” he said.
Approximately 2,700 bank customers were affected by the theft. About 3,000 safety deposit boxes -- 95% of the bank’s inventory -- were broken into.
Thomas Nowaczyk, a police spokesperson, said investigators believe the losses from the theft could total between $11.7 million to $105.7 million.
Each safety deposit box is insured for $12,088 unless a customer adds additional insurance, the bank said on its website.
Police were alerted to the heist at about 4 a.m. local time on Monday. Officials found a hole in the wall and the vault ransacked.
Police believe a large drill was used to break through the wall. They said the thieves drilled into the underground vault from a parking garage.
Officials added that they believed the thieves spent much of the holiday weekend sifting through the safety deposit boxes.
Witnesses told police that they saw several men carrying large bags in the nearby parking garage over the weekend. Video footage from the garage shows masked people inside a stolen vehicle early Monday, police said.
The bank remained closed on Tuesday. Customers were asked to contact the Sparkasse bank.
“I couldn’t sleep last night. We’re getting no information,” one man told the Welt broadcaster, according to Reuters.
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