THIEVES TARGET GERMAN BANK SAFETY DEPOSIT BOXES AGAIN

BREMEN (Germany), Feb 15 (Bernama-dpa) -- Police said on Saturday that unidentified thieves broke into 14 safety deposit boxes at a bank branch in Stuhr, Lower Saxony, according to the German Press Agency (dpa).

Officials are baffled and are unable to identify the perpetrators or the items stolen. "We can't say anything about the contents," a police spokesman said.

"We don't know what the bank customers had stored in the safety deposit boxes," he added.

Customers at the bank branch said the incident was reminiscent of a heist that took place in Gelsenkirchen, western Germany, after Christmas.

At the end of December, burglars in Gelsenkirchen spent several days breaking into a vault, using a special drill from a nearby underground car park.

They broke into more than 3,000 safe deposit boxes and fled with millions in cash, jewellery and valuables.

In Stuhr, the events unfolded much more quickly, a police spokesperson said. The perpetrators struck on Friday during the lunch break, between 12 noon and 2 pm (1100–1300 GMT).

The unidentified perpetrators reportedly accessed the basement through a light well. They went straight to the room containing the safe deposit boxes, forced open the door, and emptied several of the boxes.

According to the bank, there are 718 safe deposit boxes in the room – 14 of which were broken into and looted. "All other boxes are intact," the bank said.

Officers believe the perpetrators did not have sufficient time to access any other boxes.

After the lunch break, an employee went to the basement, a police spokesperson said.

She detected a “very pungent smell” and immediately felt nauseous, prompting the bank to alert emergency services.

Emergency crews discovered an unknown liquid on the doors but confirmed it posed no health risk. Police suspect it was likely a diversion tactic used by the burglars.

--BERNAMA-dpa