Ocean’s 14?
In a heist befitting another “Ocean’s 11” sequel, crafty crooks bored a massive hole to raid an apparently not-so-safe deposit center in London — making off with more than $300 million in jewelry.
The thieves used a heavy-duty drill to enter the vault and open 72 deposit boxes at the Hatton Garden Safe Deposit Ltd. between April 2 and April 5, the BBC reported.
The British Metropolitan Police released an image showing the gaping hole in the concrete, measuring roughly 20 inches deep, 18 inches wide and 10 inches tall.
Power tools, crowbars and discarded boxes were found inside. The crooks carted their loot away in wheeled trash cans.
The burglars are still at large.
Many of the boxes’ contents were uninsured, so the true value will likely never be known.
“The hours of forensic work and inquiries have been vital in order to ensure we are able to exploit all investigative opportunities to their fullest extent and assist us in identifying those individuals responsible,” said Detective Superintendent Craig Turner. “We appreciate this situation has been frustrating for those affected by this crime.”
Turner said authorities have been able to contact only six deposit-box owners.
Cops said the thieves disabled a second-floor elevator and used the shaft to get to the basement.
They forced open shutter doors into the basement and bored holes into the vault wall.
Police also are investigating why there was no response to an alarm that had gone off at the scene.
It’s “inconceivable” that the criminals did not have inside information on the building, Barry Phillips, a former operational chief of the London police robbery unit, told the Telegraph.
”They must have had inside information to be able to get into a premises like that, to know the routes, the vulnerabilities, the lift shaft and to defeat a state-of-the-art security system,” he added.
British tabloid The Mirror ran video images of the heist, bestowing nifty nicknames on the six visible perpetrators. There’s Mr. Ginger, Mr. Strong, Mr. Montana, The Tall Man, The Old Man and The Gent, who, it was noted, was wearing nice shoes.
With Post Wire Services
