Along with winning the lottery, bank robbery is a time-tested way that people who dream of never working again use it.
Of course, this is a very extreme way. And he is successful only until you are caught. However, an indisputable fact: among the bank robbers there were very smart (or very successful) people who managed to appropriate millions of dollars.
We will tell you about the 10 most high-profile bank robberies in history. The amount stolen is indicated at the current rate.
10. Robbery of the State Bank of the Armenian SSR (1977)
Stolen: 1.5 million rubles
Nowadays, the amount of one and a half million rubles does not look like something astronomical. However, during the Soviet era, it was money that even a large official could not dream of, and not that an ordinary Russian. For comparison: the GAZ-24-10 Volga status car in those days could be bought for 12,000 rubles.
The robbery of the State Bank of the Armenian SSR became not only the largest in the Soviet Union, but also unique in execution. It was made by two cousins of Kalachyan - Nikolai and Felix. And the gunner was a friend of Nikolai Zaven Baghdasaryan, who was part of the commission that visited the bank's vault to recount the bills.
On August 5, 1977, Felix Kalachyan, who was a candidate for master of sports in gymnastics, climbed onto the roof of a residential building that shared a wall with the State Bank. And then he jumped into the open window of the bank’s room, which was on the third floor, one floor above the vault. With the help of an umbrella, a hacksaw, a chisel, a crowbar, a hammer and drill bits, he made a 34-centimeter hole in the floor. And he first managed to crawl through it for the money, and then get out with a backpack full of money.
The accomplices managed to spend one hundred thousand rubles before they were caught selling a batch consisting of 100-ruble bills. The Kalachyan brothers were sentenced to death, and the stolen money was returned to the state. Baghdasaryan was given 11 years in prison.
9. Robbery of the Agricultural Bank of China (2007)
Stolen: 51 million yuan (476 million rubles)
This is the largest and most famous bank robbery in Chinese history. Rendered by an employee of the Agricultural Bank of China - Ren Xiaofeng, who first stole 200 thousand yuan to buy lottery tickets on them. According to Xiaofeng’s idea, he had to win enough money to cover the bank’s damage and still win. And you will probably be surprised, but this plan worked!
Encouraged by the success, Xiaofeng and his accomplice Ma Xiangjing for the year removed from the vault the amount that they had enough to buy lottery tickets for the rest of their lives. In a literal sense. Because when the bank management noticed the loss of money, both managers were tried and executed.
8. Bank robbery in California, USA (1972)
Stolen: $ 30 million (1.9 billion rubles)
In 1972, Amil Dinsio assembled a gang of six robbers and went with them to the California city of Laguna Nigel. There, the criminals planned a robbery of United California Bank, in which (according to erroneous information) President Richard Nixon held a multi-million dollar loan fund.
The gang entered the storehouse with the help of dynamite, making a hole in its reinforced concrete roof. And stole money and valuables for $ 30 million.
While the theft itself was flawless, Dincio's gang made a mistake by committing a similar crime in Ohio a few months later. The FBI linked the two thefts, and the study of transport records showed that all the criminals went to California on one flight using their own names.
FBI agents also learned about the townhouse, which was used by bandits as headquarters. Their fingerprints were discovered there. In the end, all the criminals were caught, and most of the booty was returned.
7. The Brinks Robbery, England (1983)
Stolen: 26 million pounds (2.1 billion rubles)
This famous bank robbery took place on the territory of a joint venture between Brink’s security company and Mat transport company, which transported valuable goods.
In November 1983, a Brink’s-Mat guard named Anthony Black (brother-in-law of one of the criminals) let the robbers into the company's warehouse at London Heathrow Airport. They tied up the other guards, doused them with gasoline and threatened to burn them if they did not gain access to the store.
The criminals quickly realized that not only money was stored in the warehouse, but also gold (6,800 gold bars) and rough diamonds. They transferred the booty to the truck and, leaving, wished the guards a merry Christmas. Most of the robbers were caught, but gold has not been found so far.
6. Robbery Northern Bank, Ireland (2004)
Stolen: 26.5 million pounds (2.18 billion rubles)
The week before Christmas 2004, robbers in Belfast, Northern Ireland, dressed as police officers and entered the homes of the manager and director of Northern Bank. They took their families hostage, and the bank employees themselves were ordered to go to work the next day, as if nothing had happened.
When the working day was over, the bankers let the thieves go to the bank, where they stole about 26.5 million pounds.
This case was the largest bank robbery in the history of Ireland, and the case has not yet been resolved. So far, only one person has been arrested for laundering stolen money.
5. Robbery of the Central Bank of Brazil (2005)
Stolen: 160 million Brazilian reais (2.5 billion rubles)
This crime, committed in 2005 in Fortaleza, Brazil, was once recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the greatest bank robbery in the world.
And it’s interesting not only in the astronomical stolen amount, but also in the scale of preparation. Criminals rented commercial real estate in the city center and, posing as landscape designers, spent three months digging a 200-meter tunnel. He was at a depth of 4 meters underground and led to the bank vault.
So far, most of the stolen money has not been returned.
4. Robbery of the Securitas vault, England (2006)
Stolen: 53 million pounds (4.3 billion rubles)
The largest robbery in the history of Great Britain of the 21st century occurred in 2006 at the warehouse of a collection company in Kent.
People wearing elaborate masks abducted Colin Dixon, director of the Securitas affiliate, and took his family hostage. The robbers took him to a warehouse and forced him to give access to the store.
Raiders could take much more, but all the cash simply did not fit in the truck. Therefore, 153 million pounds remained in storage.
Despite their clever disguise, some of the robbers were caught, and the makeup artist who created the masks became a key witness in the case.
3. Robbery of the Knightsbridge Deposit Center, England (1987)
Stolen: from 30 to 60 million pounds (4.9 billion rubles)
The Italian criminal Valerio Viccei committed one of the most extravagant bank robberies of his time.
In 1987, he and his assistant entered the London Bank of Knightsbridge, which was used by many famous and wealthy people, and asked to rent a safe. When they were taken to the vault, the criminals pulled out weapons and tied up the bank manager and security guards.
Having placed a sign with the inscription “closed” on the bank door, Viccea let in a few accomplices. The bandits broke into as many deposit boxes as possible and fled, taking away the loot. It is still not known exactly how much money they took away that day.
Viccei fled to South America, but eventually returned to England, where he was waiting for a brand new Ferrari car and, possibly, not new handcuffs.
2. Robbery of Dar Es Salaam Bank, Iraq (2007)
Stolen: $ 282 million (18 billion rubles)
To this day, little is known about the robbery that occurred in 2007 at Dar es Salaam, a private financial institution in Baghdad. It is not clear why the bank had so much cash in American money.
Allegedly, the theft was organized by several bank guards. The government suspected that the robbers also had contacts with the local police and law enforcement agencies, which allowed them to go unnoticed through many checkpoints in Baghdad.
There is still no additional information about the whereabouts of the money or the perpetrators.
1. Robbery of the Central Bank of Iraq (2003)
Stolen: more than 920 million dollars (59 billion rubles)
Not until 2003 did the banking world know such a massive robbery as in Iraq. And his leader was none other than the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The day before the outbreak of war in Iraq in 2003, he sent three large trucks to the Central Bank. He also handed a note to his son Kusai asking him to withdraw almost $ 1 billion so that they would not fall into the hands of the enemy. The money was loaded into vans and taken away.
Most of the money (about 650 million dollars) was found in the palace of Hussein. The American soldiers, who were instructed to calculate the booty, could not resist the temptation and appropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars. Of these, 35 soldiers were caught. And how much more Hussein's money is still spent is unknown.
