Top 10 Bank Robbery Facts
Den of Thieves, the gritty and stylish action thriller, follows Big Nick (Gerard Butler), a skilled and infamous police officer, as he tries to stop a gang from robbing the Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Los Angeles. Pulling this stunt off while trying to hoodwink Big Nick won’t be an easy feat, and is sure to keep the audience at the edge of their seats.
To celebrate the release of Den of Thieves, here are the top 10 most interesting bank robbery facts.
DEN OF THIEVES IS RELEASED IN UK CINEMAS ON FRIDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, 2018
The Biggest Robbery That Never Happened
Last year, a 500-metre long underground tunnel leading to the Bank of Brazil in Sao Paulo was discovered by police. According to authorities, the aspiring robbers would have made away with an estimated £240 million, making it the biggest bank robbery in history.
Biggest Robbery in British History
The Securitas Depot robbery in Tonbridge, Kent, is on record as being the biggest criminal cash grab in Britain. The heist involved the robbers dressing up as fake police officers to kidnap the manager of the depot and his family, tying up the bank employees and getting away with £53 million in cash. Although arrests have been made in connection to the robbery, not even half of the stolen money has been recovered.
The Weirdest Bank Robbery
Back in 2008, two men entered the Bank of Louisiana and commenced a robbery. It appeared to be a usual robbery…until one of the men suddenly tackled his companion to the ground and told him not to take the money the teller was handing over. The second man eventually wrestled his way out of his grip and escaped, leaving his turncoat companion to face the police all on his own. When the authorities arrived at the site, the man pleaded that he was not a bank robber, but merely a drug dealer.
Funniest Bank Robbery Disguise
A bank in New York in July 2010 faced quite the surprise when a man dressed as Darth Vader came charging in and demanded money. Did he use a red lightsaber? No, just a regular gun. The dark side gets to the best of us.
Most Bizarre “Weapon” Ever Used For A Robbery
In 2009, a man in Philadelphia walked into a bank armed with a rotten banana in his trousers, pretending it was a loaded gun. It was enough for the teller to hand him over the money. However, this genius, fool-proof plan was foiled by the man leaving his wallet at the bank – including his ID. The police tracked him down pretty easily after that.
A Bank Robbery That Involved No Weapons Or Violence
A group of robbers in India opened an entire restaurant that was conveniently situated under a bank as a cover-up for their crime. They made away with a large sum of money and gold on New Year’s Day 2008 by blowing open the floor of the bank. Luckily, the thieves, along with the cash and gold, were caught. How did they get this idea? From the 2004 Bollywood film Dhoom.
The Inside Job
Instead of doing their job, guards at Baghdad’s Dar Es Salaam bank decided to band together and steal $282 million. They were quickly caught, because the police had apparently been tipped off from the beginning.
The Apologetic Robber
In 2010, a man known as the “Bouquet Bandit” left a bouquet of flowers for the employees before leaving with the money. According to him, it was his way of saying thank you for taking something that did not belong to him. What a gentleman.
The First Bank Robbery of the United States
It took place in 1798 at the Bank of Pennsylvania at Carpenter’s Hall. The thief, Isaac Davis, was caught because he started depositing his stolen money in the very same bank. Prior to Davis, the police wrongly jailed a blacksmith named Patrick Lyon for three months, suspecting him because he had just changed the locks on the bank vaults.
The Latest Heist
Just ten days into 2018, five men armed with axes smashed the windows of The Ritz in Paris and stole £3.5 million worth of jewellery. The French police has since recovered all of it, thanks to one of the robbers haphazardly dropping the entire bag containing the loot of that evening.
DEN OF THIEVES IS RELEASED IN UK CINEMAS ON FRIDAY 2ND FEBRUARY, 2018
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