Robbers Dig 100-Foot Tunnel Into Berlin Bank's Safe, Suspects At Large
Criminals will go to great lengths to get their loot. In the case of a recent German robbery, the thieves went to great depths.
Local reports detailed just how low some thieves will go to get what they are after. It was revealed by German police that thieves dug a 100-foot long tunnel in order to enter the room of a Berlin bank that contained safe deposit boxes.
Security personal did not realize the theft until they spotted smoke coming from the room after the thieves set the fire intentionally as a diversion to cover their escape.
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Berlin police spokesman Thomas Neuendorf revealed that the tunnel started from an adjacent parking garage that was underground and whose wall was next to the bank's safe deposit room. It is commonly portrayed in the movies- thieves digging a tunnel to get the gold, that is- but rarely does it play out in real life.
Neuendorf further explained that the tunnel was professionally constructed and was estimated to have taken several weeks, if not months, to dig the entire distance. Investigators stated that there was even a support structure built to protect against the tunnel collapsing, according to reports from the Associated Press.
Officials said that they did not realize that a theft had taken place until the fire was extinguished after firefighters were called to put out the blaze early Monday morning.
Neuendorf revealed that there have been no suspects arrested as investigators look for clues at the crime scene. There have also been no official reports or confirmation as to the exact nature or amount of the valuables stolen.
While the suspects are still at large, other inspired thieves in Germany have not been quite as fortunate to leave with their loot. In September 2012, bank robbers in the tiny western German town of Nottuln-Darup exploded dynamite to open the safe, but instead blew up the entire bank. They were forced to leave empty handed.
