GARDAÍ BELIEVE five men arrested in connection with the robbery of almost €300,000 and abduction of a bank manager’s wife were trying to hide and launder the proceeds of the raid when they were detained.
Around €50,000 of the estimated €290,000 stolen has been recovered. Gardaí are continuing a forensic search of a house in Kilcock, Co Kildare, and are hopeful more money may be found.
The arrested men, who are the chief suspects for last week’s so-called tiger raid on the AIB in Clondalkin, west Dublin, were arrested in the capital and in Kildare on Saturday.
Detectives almost caught some of the men while the robbery was still under way last Thursday. They had at least one of them under close surveillance when the stolen money was being handed over by the AIB Clondalkin bank manager to secure his wife’s release.
The other members of the group continued to hold the woman at a quarry near Enniskerry in Co Wicklow for well over an hour after the cash was collected. Armed Garda surveillance teams did not move in and arrest their target until the bank manager’s wife was released safely.
By the time word reached gardaí at 12.45pm on Thursday that the woman had been freed, the gang members who had been under surveillance were gone.
The ordeal began at 11pm on Wednesday when three raiders, at least one of whom was armed with a shotgun, entered the home of the bank manager and his wife at Domville Drive, Templeogue, south Dublin. They kept the couple in the house overnight. In the early hours, the woman was driven away by the gang while her husband was ordered to go to work and get cash for the gang.
He then drove his car, with a bag of money, to the Cherrywood estate near the Clondalkin bank branch at 10.30am, and left it unlocked, as instructed.
Gardaí kept the car under surveillance but did not move in on some of the gang members when they arrived because the bank manager’s wife had not yet been freed.
Despite the men escaping, detectives were very confident that they knew the identity of the gang.
An investigation put in place while the robbery was still under way led to in the arrests of the five suspects on Saturday. Four of the suspects, all in their 20s, were arrested in a house in Kilcock, which had been rented by the west Dublin gang. Gardaí believe the men were effectively hiding out there. A fifth man, in his 30s, was arrested in Blanchardstown.
Most of the estimated €50,000 recovered from the robbery was found in the Kilcock house, while one of those arrested had nearly €15,000 on his person.
Gardaí also raided properties in Clondalkin, Ronanstown and Lucan – all linked to some of the gang members. The five arrested men are being detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act and can be held for up to seven days without charge.