Unknown intruders broke into safe deposit boxes in the basement of a Volksbank branch in Stuhr near Bremen on Friday during the lunch break. Employees reported nausea due to an unknown liquid sprayed by the perpetrators, which led to the discovery of the break-in. Police in Diepholz provided no details on the loot and have no leads on the suspects so far.
In the small town of Stuhr near Bremen, a break-in occurred at the Volksbank branch on Blockener Straße on Friday. The perpetrators entered the basement through a light shaft during the lunch break and forced open several doors to access the safe deposit boxes. The number of boxes in the small branch and how many were broken into remains unclear, a police spokesman from Diepholz police stated.
The break-in was discovered when bank employees suddenly complained of malaise and nausea. An unknown liquid sprayed by the intruders in the basement, found among other places on door handles, was the cause. "What it was and what the burglars used the liquid for is still unclear," the police spokesman said. Colleagues immediately called the emergency services and evacuated the building. The fire department responded, cordoned off the area extensively, and inspected the premises under breathing apparatus. "The fire department found no elevated measurements during the inspection of the premises under breathing protection," police stated. An ABC unit was also deployed. Two employees were treated by emergency services but sustained no injuries.
No information on the loot is available yet, and there are no leads on the perpetrators. The branch is located on a busy street near the town hall. "The perpetrators couldn't have had much time," the police spokesman explained, as the bank reopened after the lunch break. Police are now investigating whether there is camera surveillance, how many perpetrators were involved, and how they escaped.
This incident recalls the break-in at the end of December in Gelsenkirchen, where intruders broke into over 3,000 safe deposit boxes at a Sparkasse and stole valuables worth millions.
