Czech cops agog at bank robber’s honesty

A CZECH bank robber handed himself in a day after robbing a bank of thousands of korunas (the Czech currency), saying he had taken the money “to pay back good friends”. Police were dumbfounded. The robber had first called them just 10 minutes after taking the equivalent of about R103 050 from a Prague bank to tell them he would appear at a police station the next day. He was true to his word. Tomas Hulan of the Prague police said that even the city's most experienced detectives had never experienced a case like this.

“He came in, confessed to the robbery and explained he had to do it because of financial problems,” said Hulan.

“Apparently, some ‘bad people’ had stolen his money, but some people had helped him out and he wanted ‘pay the good friends back’.”

The robber, who has not been named for legal reasons, went to the bank in the Radotin district of Prague and waited patiently in a queue.

When it was his turn, he handed the teller a note saying he had a gun and that she had to give him the cash.

But his friends who received the money will have to return it. They could face a police investigation if they accepted the money knowing its criminal origins.

Prague police said that despite being charged with armed robbery, the man had been released on bail on account of his unusual and honest behaviour.

The police added that while his honesty would no doubt be taken into account by the courts, he still faced the prospect of up to 10 years behind bars, if found guilty. — ©