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Razorguns
Well-known member
GOD DAYUM!
$70 MILLION! Wonder if George Clooney was involved.
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050809-012/page.asp
It shouldn’t have been that easy, but it was.
Three months of tunneling under a city street in northern Brazil was worth every penny for the people responsible, as their quest came to end over the weekend after breaking into a Central Bank vault and absconding with $67.8 million US in the biggest robbery in the nation’s history.
In the city of Fortaleza, about 2,500 kilometres from the capital of Brasilia, “a group of highly sophisticated thieves,” made off with the incredible sum without firing a shot according to Sabrina Albuquerque of the federal police.
Still, despite the impressive haul and simple plan that made it possible, the responsible parties are far from out of the woods.
"We are looking into several aspects of the crime, including why the cameras and motion detectors inside the vault did not function and if the thieves had any inside help," said bank spokeswoman Beatriz Dornelles. Local police also announced they already have eight suspects.
The heist took place sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Monday when the vault was closed for the weekend. During that time, thieves cracked into five containers packed with notes to be inspected by Central Bank auditors before being returned to circulation.
In order to get to the vault, they crawled through a tunnel that was 70 centimetres high and ran 80 metres from a rented house nearby. It was 13 feet below ground and supported with wooden panels, plastic sheeting and even had electric lighting.
Left behind at the scene were a bolt cutter, a drill, an electric saw and a blow torch, which were likely used in combination to blast through the steel-reinforced concrete floor that was approximately one-metre thick below the vault.
Hardly an amateur operation, the nearby house was a clever front, and was renovated months ago and adorned with a sign suggesting it was home to a landscaping company that sold plants and grass.
"I never saw them selling anything, and, in fact, I never saw any plant or grass for sale in that house," said neighbour Richard Chamberlain.
"I'm not sure how many people worked in that house, but I would say more than five," he said. "The man who seemed to be the owner of the establishment was a friendly person who at times would pay for a round of beer in a nearby bar."
But that character’s kindness may eventually be his team’s undoing.
"He was a tall, balding and unshaven man who judging from his accent was from the south, maybe Sao Paulo," Chamberlain said. "He definitely was not from Ceara or anywhere from northeastern Brazil."
Still, Chamberlain admits he’s at least a little impressed with the careful planning that allowed the thieves to complete the tunnel without anyone noticing.
"The tunnel was dug underneath one of the city's busiest and noisiest avenues, so it would be hard to notice anything unusual."
$70 MILLION! Wonder if George Clooney was involved.
http://www.pulse24.com/News/Top_Story/20050809-012/page.asp
It shouldn’t have been that easy, but it was.
Three months of tunneling under a city street in northern Brazil was worth every penny for the people responsible, as their quest came to end over the weekend after breaking into a Central Bank vault and absconding with $67.8 million US in the biggest robbery in the nation’s history.
In the city of Fortaleza, about 2,500 kilometres from the capital of Brasilia, “a group of highly sophisticated thieves,” made off with the incredible sum without firing a shot according to Sabrina Albuquerque of the federal police.
Still, despite the impressive haul and simple plan that made it possible, the responsible parties are far from out of the woods.
"We are looking into several aspects of the crime, including why the cameras and motion detectors inside the vault did not function and if the thieves had any inside help," said bank spokeswoman Beatriz Dornelles. Local police also announced they already have eight suspects.
The heist took place sometime between 6 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Monday when the vault was closed for the weekend. During that time, thieves cracked into five containers packed with notes to be inspected by Central Bank auditors before being returned to circulation.
In order to get to the vault, they crawled through a tunnel that was 70 centimetres high and ran 80 metres from a rented house nearby. It was 13 feet below ground and supported with wooden panels, plastic sheeting and even had electric lighting.
Left behind at the scene were a bolt cutter, a drill, an electric saw and a blow torch, which were likely used in combination to blast through the steel-reinforced concrete floor that was approximately one-metre thick below the vault.
Hardly an amateur operation, the nearby house was a clever front, and was renovated months ago and adorned with a sign suggesting it was home to a landscaping company that sold plants and grass.
"I never saw them selling anything, and, in fact, I never saw any plant or grass for sale in that house," said neighbour Richard Chamberlain.
"I'm not sure how many people worked in that house, but I would say more than five," he said. "The man who seemed to be the owner of the establishment was a friendly person who at times would pay for a round of beer in a nearby bar."
But that character’s kindness may eventually be his team’s undoing.
"He was a tall, balding and unshaven man who judging from his accent was from the south, maybe Sao Paulo," Chamberlain said. "He definitely was not from Ceara or anywhere from northeastern Brazil."
Still, Chamberlain admits he’s at least a little impressed with the careful planning that allowed the thieves to complete the tunnel without anyone noticing.
"The tunnel was dug underneath one of the city's busiest and noisiest avenues, so it would be hard to notice anything unusual."
