Money and valuables stolen from safe deposit boxes at Raiffeisenbank in Basel
Almost two dozen safety deposit boxes at the Raiffeisenbank in Basel have been robbed, it has emerged.
Peter Gill, media spokesperson for the Basel-Stadt public prosecution, confirmed on Saturday that a Raiffeisen bank customer had filed a complaint earlier this week when he noticed that valuables and money had been stolen from his safe deposit box.
The thefts had already been reported in the “Schweiz am Wochenende” and “Südostschweiz am Wochenende” newspapers.
An investigation carried out since has revealed that a further 21 deposit boxes had also been emptied. The public prosecution service did not provide any details about the total amount of valuables and money that was stolen. All affected customers had been informed, a media spokesperson for the Raiffeisen Schweiz Genossenschaft said on request.
A team of forensics officers is carrying out an investigation into the thefts. Mr Gill said “a lot of effort” was being invested in solving the case. The investigation is centered on how the thieves managed to obtain access to and break into so many deposit boxes. It is understood that unauthorised people managed to manipulate the bank’s security system.
Lift system for 24-hour deposit boxes
Mr Gill said the deposit boxes are stored in the bank’s cellar and a customer needs to enter a small room where they can access their deposit box by entering their PIN. Once the customer is finished, the box is automatically returned to the cellar. The room at Raiffeisenbank is accessible during 24 hours a day on every weekday.
Basel’s Raiffeisenbank advertises the fact that it is the only bank in the city with a fully automated safe deposit system. Customers can access their valuables at all times with a PIN. The rent for such a deposit box costs between 108 and 259 Swiss francs per year.
Man killed by electric shock at work in Wettingen
A man was killed after he received an electric shock during maintenance works at Wettingen’s train station in Argovia (Aargau) on Friday. Another worker suffered burns and had to be taken to a hospital.
The accident happened at around 2.30pm as two workers from an outside company were carrying out maintenance work at Wettingen’s train station. One of the workers, a 27-year-old Hungarian man, was killed instantly by an electric shock. His co-worker, a 32-year-old German man, sustained burns from the electric discharge and had to be taken to a hospital by an ambulance.
Current investigations reveal that the two workers must have used a ladder, which had been put up too close to the overhead lines. This must have resulted in an electric discharge that hit the men. The cantonal police of Argovia have launched an investigation to find out about the details and cause of the accident. The Basel public prosecution is also examining the case.
Cyclist injured by car collision in Basel
The police are looking for witnesses after a cyclist was injured in a collision with a car at Schwarzwaldallee on Friday.
The accident happened at around 6.30pm at the Schwarzwaldallee/Maulbeerstrasse junction. The circumstances of the accident remain unclear and the traffic police want anyone who has information about the incident to get in touch with them on 061 699 12 12.