Gold Theft at Bonn Sparkasse Follows Massive Vault Heist in Gelsenkirchen

In late 2025, German banks faced serious security breaches marked by two significant thefts. Following a massive heist in Gelsenkirchen where thieves used specialized drills to break into a Sparkasse vault, accessing nearly all of the 3,250 customer safe deposit boxes and stealing an estimated 30 million euros in valuables, another incident emerged involving internal theft in Bonn. At a Sparkasse branch in Bonn's Friedensplatz, substantial amounts of gold have disappeared. Police investigations reveal that a bank employee is suspected of illegally accessing two safe deposit boxes and stealing their contents.

The Sparkasse Köln/Bonn has confirmed the internal security breach, stating that they are cooperating closely with authorities and affected customers. Although the investigation has been ongoing since December 17, 2025, officials have not disclosed details regarding how the employee accessed the gold or the exact value of the stolen items. These back-to-back security incidents highlight vulnerabilities both from external criminal attacks and internal threats within German banking institutions.

Authorities are continuing their investigations into both the external heist in Gelsenkirchen and the internal theft in Bonn, stressing the importance of strengthening security measures to restore public trust.