Gardaí investigating a robbery in which over €200,000 was stolen by a gang who kept a mother and daughter hostage are hopeful a van used by the raiders will yield vital forensic evidence.
Security sources said a member of the public in a housing estate in Dunboyne, Co Meath, heard “banging and screaming” coming from the back of a small VW Caddy van parked by the side of the residential street.
When they went to investigate, the hostages were discovered in the back of the vehicle.
While the mother was being held hostage with her daughter earlier in the morning, initially at their home in Artane, north Dublin, her husband was told to go to work as normal for the GSLS cash transport company.
He was told to drive the van from south Dublin to a rendezvous point at the Dublin Airport campus. He was told his wife and daughter would be harmed if he tried to raise the alarm or refused to surrender cash to the gang.
Armed gang
At least €200,000 in untraceable notes was given to one of the attackers at the airport at about 8am on Thursday.
That gang member then drove off after the two women were discovered in Dunboyne in the back of another van they had spent the night in as hostages while tied up.
The robbery prompted a security alert at the airport.
Gardaí are now hopeful the vehicle the women were held in can yield forensic evidence that will lead them to the raiders.
“There may be forensics, not only from the people involved; but possibly from somebody who stole the van and supplied it to them,” said one source.
As well as the criminal inquiry, gardaí are also investigating whether measures in a voluntary code of conduct cash in transit companies have signed up to were followed.
In the past, senior Garda officers have criticised banks or security companies that transport cash for paying ransoms before contacting gardaí.
The family’s ordeal began at approximately 8pm on Wednesday when the raiders forced their way into their home at Gracefield Road, Artane.
Three raiders, at least one of whom was carrying a firearm, remained at the property until about 5am.
At that point all three raiders left the mother and her adult daughter, both of whom were tied up and put into the back of a VW Caddy van in which they were driven around for between two and three hours.
Family traumatised
Supt Gerry Donnelly said the investigating team based in Coolock, north Dublin, believe there were three raiders involved in the raid.
“They were masked; wearing ski masks and were wearing gloves. All were described as having Dublin accents,” he said. “We understand one of the raiders may have been in possession of a handgun. That’s what we believe at the moment but we’re at the early stages of our investigation and we’re still in the process of interviewing the victims.
“The family are extremely traumatised. They have not been physically injured but naturally enough this was an extremely traumatic incident for them and they’re very traumatised at the moment.”
He confirmed the raiders stayed in the family’s home overnight and then left with mother and daughter as hostages in the morning.
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious at a number of locations between last night and this morning to contact them.
These locations include the Artane roundabout and nearby Gracefield Road where the family was abducted, as well as in Chestnut Grove, Dunboyne, and Corballis Road Business Park.
The VW Caddy van is described as having 09 D registration is was silver or white in colour.
Gardaí also believe another vehicle, described as a “small white box-type van” was used by the gang members who collected the case at Corballis Road Business Park, Dublin Airport, and have urged anyone who may have seen it there between 7.30am and 8am to come forward.
Fears of more robberies
The robbery comes after a lull in such raids with hostage taking and will now raise fears of a fresh spate of such raids as other criminal gangs look on at the apparent success of the attack.
Siptu, which represents many workers in the cash in transit sector, called on Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald to make compulsory training for workers in how to deal with tiger kidnapping attacks.
Siptu organiser Brendan Carr said such action was needed immediately.
“While there are compulsory procedures and regulations to protect the cash, the vans and the buildings there are no similar measures in place when it comes to preparing workers so they can do everything possible to protect themselves and their families,” he said.
“Rectifying this issue and introducing adequate training and procedures for workers must become a top priority for the Minister.
“Otherwise cash in transit workers will continue to be vulnerable to horrific attacks such as that endured by a worker and his family today.”
