Outrage at ease of cash heist
RISK MONITORING BODY SAYS PRECISE INFO WAS USED IN AIRPORT ROBBERY Sabric notes that the effortless access to such a secure area is very suspicious.
The South African Bank Risk Information Centre (Sabric) has expressed outrage at Tuesday night’s cash-in-transit heist at OR Tambo International Airport.
According to Sabric’s CEO, Kalyani Pillay, the brazenness of the criminals and the ease with which access was gained to a secure area, is a huge concern.
Pillay said it was evident the heist had been executed using accurate information, which resulted in the criminals getting away with millions of rands in cash.
“This incident exacerbates an already dire situation of attacks on cash-in-transit vehicles and their staff,” he said.
During 2016, Sabric recorded 269 cash-in-transit incidents nationally, compared to 249 incidents in 2015. So far this year, 57 incidents have been recorded.
“We know the syndicates perpetrating these kind of crimes are highly skilled and organised.”
Meanwhile, the Hawks, the police and Airports Company of South Africa (Acsa) were working to gain more information.
Acsa said the armed robbery had happened at about 7.45pm on Tuesday.
“No shots were fired and no injuries reported.
“The robbers fled and it is not known at this stage what, if anything [apart from the money], was taken,” Acsa said in its statement late on Tuesday night.
“The South African Police Service and Acsa are working closely with other security agencies to apprehend the suspects. The investigation is at an early stage,” Acsa added.
Earlier, acting national police commissioner General Khomotso Phahlane’s spokesperson, Colonel Athlenda Mathe, said police would do “everything possible” to get to the bottom of the incident.
Asked whether she could confirm media reports that R24 million was stolen from a plane, Mathe said: “We cannot comment [on that].”
In 2006, in a heist at the then Johannesburg International Airport, a gang of robbers made off with R100 million from a plane carrying foreign currency.
Most of the gang members were arrested and convicted in 2012.