Gelsenkirchen: Robbers made off with valuables estimated at over £100 million from the Sparkasse bank vault in Gelsenkirchen, APA reports citing Bild newspaper. Initially, the estimated value of the stolen items was approximately £30 million. The Sparkasse branch was closed for the Christmas holidays, providing an opportunity for the thieves to execute their plan. According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the robbers accessed the building from a nearby parking lot by cutting a large hole in the wall. Once inside, they broke into around 3,200 safe deposit boxes, stealing their contents, including gold, before fleeing the scene. The robbery was discovered early in the morning of December 29. This incident is likely one of the largest bank robberies in German history, affecting more than 2,500 depositors. It marks the third robbery in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in the past three weeks.