In the early morning hours of February 22, 2006, a gang of at least six men, some of them armed, steal £53 million from the Securitas bank depot in Kent, Great Britain. It was the largest such theft in British history.
The
plot was well planned. On the evening before, two men, dressed as
police officers, pulled the depot manager, Colin Dixon, over as he was
driving in nearby Stockbury. They convinced him to get out of his car,
and forced him into their vehicle. At about the same time, two more men
visited Dixon’s home and picked up Dixon’s wife and eight-year-old son;
eventually all three Dixons were taken to a farm in West Kent, where the
gang threatened their lives if Colin refused to cooperate with the
robbery.
The Dixons were then
forced to go with the gang to the Securitas depot, where Colin helped
them evade the building’s security system. The gang proceeded to tie up
14 depot staff members, load the £53 million into a truck and, at about
2:15 a.m. on February 22, drive away. No one was injured in the robbery.
Eventually, one depot worker was able to contact police, who launched a
massive search for the culprits. As the stolen money was all in used
bills, it was difficult to trace. Securitas and its insurers posted a £2
million reward for information leading to the arrests of the robbers
and return of the money.
The next day, three people, one man and two women, were arrested in connection with the case; one had attempted to deposit £6,000 into a local bank that was bound in Securitas depot tape. However, all three were later released without being charged. Police continue to investigate the case, and more than 30 people have been arrested, though there have been no convictions. Police are also said to have recovered nearly £20 million of the stolen money.
In short
- 22 Feb 06 - The robbers got away with £52,996,760 from the Securitas depot in Tonbridge, and left behind a further £153,833,020 because there was no room in their lorry
- 24 Feb 06 - Two suitcases and a holdall, containing £1,370,500 was found in a van at Ashford International Hotel in Ashford, Kent
- 28 Feb 06 - Police found £105,600 in an orchard on a farm in Staplehurst, Kent
- 2 Mar 06 - Twelve holdalls containing £9,655,040 found in a container at ENR Cars in Welling, south-east London, which had been rented by Roger Coutts
- 5 Mar 06 - Detectives found another £8,601,990 in a lock-up in Southborough, Kent, and £1,350 was used to pay Keith Borer for painting a van. Mr Borer, who lived in Yalding, had no idea it came from the robbery
- Later in 2006 - A further £1m was found in the boot of a car, but more details cannot be disclosed for legal reasons
Taken from: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/gang-commits-largest-robbery-in-british-history [22.02.2013]
No comments:
Post a Comment