As 24sata/Visnja Kragic Mahmutovic writes on the 21st of October, 2019, thieves on a stolen motorcycle intercepted security guards and stole the entire weekend’s proceeds from the duty free shop. Evidently, they knew when a van, escorted by security guards, would appear in front of Dubrovnik Airport’s administrative building.
The robbery of Dubrovnik Airport security guards took place around 07:40 this morning. Two men intercepted security guards who were carrying money, more specifically the takings from over the weekend. The Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department confirmed the incident, noting that an investigation is now underway, Dubrovacki Dnevnik reports.
Dubrovacki Dnevnik has been able to find out that the money in question is from the airport’s duty free shop. In this case, practically, all police officers of the Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department are working on this case.
100,000 euros in cash was allegedly stolen.
The thieves apparently knew exactly when the van, escorted by security guards, would appear in front of the administration building of Dubrovnik Airport, and intercepted it before it took the money to Dubrovnik.
Two security guards were attacked while taking money from the administration building near FINA. The robbers intercepted them on a Mezzanave (local restaurant) delivery scooter, which was stolen from in front of that restaurant on Tuesday night. It has also since been learned that there was a struggle between the robbers and security guards, and that the robbers fled. According to Dubrovacki Dnevnik, the robbers may have been located.
The Dubrovnik-Neretva Police Department issued a statement on the whole case:
”This morning, at around 07:40, a robbery occurred in the area of Dubrovnik Airport in a way that two armed men on a motorcycle, seized a large amount of money from the airport security guards who were carrying it. A criminal investigation is underway to shed light on all the circumstances of the event and an intense search for the perpetrators of the robbery is ongoing.
Did the robbers have a helper – a mole?
According to Dubrovacki Dnevnik, the investigation must shed light on how the robbers knew the exact date of the money transfer and therefore – whether they had a helper among the security guards.
What is also odd, is that the bag has a system that, if it’s forcefully opened, releases a type of paint to destroy the cash inside.
”There are too many unknown factors, but there is no doubt that security measures have loosened at Dubrovnik Airport. It’s also important to answer the question of the amount involved because the Law on the Protection of Financial Institutions prescribes different safeguards when transporting or transferring money.
For the transportation of more than 800,000 kuna, the law prescribes precise safeguards. However, if the amount is up to (less than) 800,000, then it is a transfer of money for which lighter protection criteria applies, the security expert, who wished to remain anonymous, told Dubrovacki Dnevnik.
”The first question is what the amount was and the second was whether it was an employee of the airport’s internal security service or security personnel working at Čilipi airport [who was carrying the cash]. That money gets deposited from the duty free shop at the airport and then should be duly transferred to a bank or to FINA by an outside security company, with an armored vehicle that has a certain kind of protection and with an armed crew with so-called safety tanks.
Anyway, it all indicates that someone inside knew everything. An outside contract security company needed to deposit this money to the bank. However, it never reached that stage at all. This is someone on the inside who knew everything and how [it all functions]. Especially when it comes to this larger amount of money which was raised over the weekend,” concluded the anonymous security expert.
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