THIS is the comical moment a gang of bank robbers politely paid for their parking – just moments after pulling off a heist potentially worth tens of millions.
Bizarre footage shows a masked man, dressed in a grey jumper and balaclava, calmly feeding coins into a parking metre, slotting them in one by one.
He then returns moments later to put more money in the machine, making sure he pays the correct amount.
The honest thief remembered to pay up – despite having just fled a German bank vault with a haul estimated at around £30 million.
In a separate clip, another member of the group can seen lifting up the parking barrier for his accomplice in a white Mercedes van.
He then repeats the trick so a black car can enter the complex.
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The vehicle is then then exit seen approaching the exit – presumably as the gang make their get away.
A police spokesperson said: “The videos are known and form part of the ongoing investigation.”
The authorities also revealed the clips were originally shared in a WhatsApp group set up by the victims of the robbery.
The break-in at the bank vault in Gelsenkirchen is believed to have affected around 2,500 customers.
While early estimates put the stolen goods at roughly £30 million, police say the final figure could be much higher.
“We are assuming a mid double-digit million euro sum,” the spokesperson added.
If confirmed, the audacious raid would rank as one of the biggest bank heists in German history.
To rub salt into the wounds, the break-in initially went undetected for days.
Cops were only alerted early on Monday morning, when a fire alarm was triggered inside the branch of Sparkasse bank.
By then, the culprits were long gone.
Investigators believe the burglary likely took place during the Christmas holidays or even the previous weekend.
When emergency services eventually did arrive, they discovered a massive hole drilled through the vault wall.
Investigators say the masked gang – believed to consist of two or three – entered the building via a parking garage.
From there, they cunningly made their way through several secured doors before reaching an archive room adjacent to the vault.
Using professional-grade equipment, the gang drilled through an 18 inch reinforced concrete wall to access the treasure inside.
Experts estimate the operation would have taken somewhere between two and four hours.
The criminals are thought to have used a 20kg industrial drill fitted with a synthetic diamond-coated crown.
They would also have needed jerry cans, hoses and a pump to cool the machinery during the drilling process.
Once inside the vault, the thieves emptied as many safe deposit boxes as they could before escaping through the hole they had created.
At the time of the break-in, the vault reportedly housed around 3,300 safe deposit boxes of varying sizes, rented by approximately 2,700 customers – some of whom held multiple boxes.
Police believe up to 90 per cent of the boxes were breached.
According to Bildeach lock box is insured for up to €10,300, meaning the bank could be on the hook for €33,990,000 (£30,000,000) million.
As part of extensive enquiries, police are analysing similar footage while interviewing local residents.
Witnesses say they saw several men carrying large bags in the stairwell of the parking garage on Saturday night.
However, investigators say there are no promising leads at this time.
For now, the perpetrators of this historical heist remain at large.