Berlin [Germany], December 31 (ANI): Just days before the New Year, valuables worth around Euro 30 million (about USD 33 million) were stolen from a bank in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen, in what police described as one of the largest bank heists in the country in recent years. Authorities confirmed the incident on Tuesday, DW reported.

Police believe the robbery was carried out by a highly organised and well-prepared group, citing the level of planning, technical skill and coordination involved in the operation.

According to investigators, the burglars entered the bank through an underground parking garage. From there, they drilled through a wall to gain access to the vault area. After breaking open thousands of safe-deposit lockers, the suspects escaped using the same route, DW reported.

More than 3,000 safe-deposit boxes were damaged during the break-in. The lockers reportedly contained cash, gold and jewellery. Based on an average insured value of Euro 10,000 per box (around USD10,900), police have made an initial estimate placing total losses at approximately Euro 30 million.

The theft came to light on Monday after a fire alarm was triggered inside the building, prompting emergency services to respond. It was only then that the scale of the robbery became apparent.

Several witnesses later told police they had seen men carrying heavy bags inside the parking garage stairwell during the night.

Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage that reportedly shows a black Audi RS 6 leaving the garage early Monday morning. The occupants were masked, and police confirmed that the vehicle was using a license plate stolen earlier from the northern German city of Hanover.

Over the past two days, many customers gathered outside the affected bank branch seeking information about their valuables. Media reports said a large number of victims had stored gold and jewellery in their lockers, with some claiming their losses exceeded the insured limits, DW reported.

Police have urged customers not to file individual complaints at this stage. Instead, they have been asked to coordinate directly with the bank, which is collecting damage reports and forwarding them to investigators on a daily basis.

The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made so far. (ANI)