Thieves raid German bank just months after huge raid in nearby city

Police in Germany are appealing for witnesses after thieves broke into the basement of a bank and stole from customer safety deposit boxes.

Three individuals, who are thought to be men, were seen wearing blue overalls and walking from a Volksbank branch in Stuhr, northwestern Germany, at around 1.20pm on Friday (13 February), authorities said.

They added that the trio were walking towards a dark car, but witnesses have so far said they aren't sure whether they got in and drove away or walked past.

The break-in comes just months after a huge heist in the city of Gelsenkirchen, a two-and-a-half-hour train journey from Stuhr.

A gang of thieves took advantage of the Christmas holidays and drilled into a vault to steal millions of pounds worth of valuables.

Witnesses saw several men carrying large bags into the stairwell of a garage next to the bank overnight on Saturday 27 December.

CCTV footage then captured a black Audi leaving early in the morning on Monday 29 December.

The men broke into thousands of deposit boxes, with initial estimates placing the value of the raid between €10m to €90m (£8.6m to £78m), according to a police spokesperson.

(c) Sky News 2026: Thieves raid German bank just months after huge raid in nearby city