A cinematic coup in the Ruhr region causes a lot of excitement among the population – and even more unanswered questions.
December 30, 2025, 3:04 p.mDecember 30, 2025, 3:04 p.m
Bojan Stula / ch media
After the spectacular break-in at a Sparkasse branch in the Buer district of Gelsenkirchen, the situation on site is getting worse. The focus at the moment is less on the still unsolved perpetrator than on the tense mood among the affected customers: hundreds have flocked to the bank in the past few days, many looking for answers – and encountered closed doors.
Angry demonstrators demand access to the savings bank branch, which is secured by a police cordon.Image: Christoph Reichwein/dpa
The unrest was triggered by a cinematic coup that was allegedly carried out during the Christmas holidays. Unknown perpetrators gained access to the building via a parking garage, worked their way through several doors into an archive room and used special equipment to drill a large, circular hole in the wall to the safe room. “You can’t get the drill at the hardware store,” said a police spokesman, according to the German Press Agency. According to the police, “a large number” of lockers were broken into in the vault, although an exact number is still pending.
The perpetrators drilled a large hole from an adjoining room to get into the vault.Image: Gelsenkirchen police
When the break-in became known, the customers’ uncertainty exploded. At times around 200 people gathered in front of the branch. The police had to clear the anteroom and intervene with loudspeaker announcements to calm the situation. There were repeated calls like “We want in, we want in!” to hear how Bild.de reported. The branch remained closed and there was no information on site.
The scenes in front of the building were sometimes emotional. Some of those affected cried, families stood together, the fear for savings, jewelry or gold was palpable. A woman told a dpa reporter that her family had “worked and saved for it for 40 years” and that the assets were stored in a safe deposit box. Many are now wondering whether and to what extent the loss will be compensated.
The number of protesting bank customers has steadily increased.Image: keystone
The savings bank refers to the existing insurance cover. “Basically, Sparkasse Gelsenkirchen has insured each compartment for 10,300 euros,” a spokesman told the DPA. Customers could have additionally insured larger sums. Loud Bild.de There are around 3,300 lockers in the vault, which are rented by around 2,700 customers. In purely mathematical terms, the insurance damage – if all subjects are affected – could grow to around 34 million euros. The bank is already in contact with the insurance company and wants to actively contact those affected to explain how to proceed.
The investigation is ongoing at the same time. The break-in was discovered after a nighttime fire alarm that called the fire department and police onto the scene. There is no “hot lead” yet. The police evaluate vehicle movements and question residents. It is also unclear why the fire alarm system went off and when exactly the perpetrators struck – the Christmas holidays and the following weekend are considered likely.
The branch should reopen after the forensics have been completed in order to offer at least one thing: a place for information. But the nervousness remains. As long as it is unclear what has disappeared from the lockers, the tumult in front of the savings bank will continue – and with it the anxious question of many of those affected as to what is left of their assets.
With material from the DPA. (aargauerzeitung.ch)