Thieves rob Swiss money van in ‘Fast and Furious’ style heist
A melted street lamp and charred road are the only visible evidence left of the heist
Keystone
A money delivery van was immobilised by a Kalashnikov-wielding gang using two delivery vehicles near the Swiss town of Mont-sur-Lausanne close to Lake Geneva. They made away with some of the money and are at large.
The cash delivery van operated by a private company was attacked on Thursday morning a little after midnight. It was hit by two delivery vehicles stolen by the thieves and the two occupants were threatened with a Kalashnikov. After taking the money, the robbers then set fire to the van, the two stolen delivery vehicles and another car in the vicinity. They then fled in several cars despite measures by the police to intercept them.
“They were determined and prepared”, said Florence Maillard, spokesperson for the police of canton Vaud. She added that the French police were alerted immediately, as is the norm in such incidents.
The two employees in the money van were not injured but very shocked. Witnesses who were threatened also received psychological support, according to police.
This is not the first time money delivery vehicles have been targeted in the region. In May 2017, a van carrying more than CHF40 million ($41.6 million) in cash and gemstones was robbed on the highway near the town of Nyon. The thieves, who were from the French city of Lyon, fled to France where they were later arrested. In December 2015, two money couriers were attacked in the town of Bussigny close to Thursday’s robbery. The loot amounted to more than CHF2 million.
Popular Stories
More
Workplace Switzerland
Trump tariff shock: how Switzerland is positioning itself
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
WHO braces for staff cuts in Geneva amid US funding withdrawal
This content was published on
WHO’s Director-General warned US budget cuts are putting the agency in financial trouble, leading to management cuts in Geneva.
Parmelin meets Swiss businesses in US as IMF predicts 0.9% growth for Switzerland
This content was published on
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin met Swiss businesses in the US during IMF and World Bank meetings. The IMF now forecasts 0.9% GDP growth for Switzerland.
An atomic ‘tick-tock’ with Swiss technology heads to space to test the Einstein effect
This content was published on
On Monday, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the ACES set of atomic clocks to measure the effect of gravity on the passage of time.
Swiss Guard swearing-in ceremony postponed following Pope Francis death
This content was published on
The swearing-in ceremony of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, which usually takes place on May 6 each year, has been postponed to a date to be announced next autumn.
Swiss medical device maker Ypsomed to sell diabetes business
This content was published on
Bern-based injection device manufacturer Ypsomed announced on Tuesday that it was selling its diabetes-related activities.
Award-winning Swiss author and scholar Peter von Matt dies aged 87
This content was published on
The Alemannic writer and former professor of German literature Peter von Matt died on Monday in Zurich at the age of 87, following a long illness.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
The Great Swiss Post Heist of 1997
This content was published on
The “post heist of the century” is one of the most spectacular cases in Swiss crime history and the stuff of movie scripts.
Switzerland’s most infamous bank robber to be released from prison
This content was published on
Almost 19 years after his last arrest, a Zurich cantonal court has accepted Portmann’s application for parole. His latest “job” was a bank robbery in Horn in canton Thurgau with two accomplices, after escaping from a prison in canton Graubünden. He was handed a nine-year prison sentence for this heist. The 59-year-old has not served…
This content was published on
The criminal court in Renens sentenced a 45 year-old Serbian woman today to ten years imprisonment for her involvement in four jewellery heists between 2009 and 2011.
This content was published on
A Frenchman working for a Swiss money transport firm has handed over tens of millions of francs to kidnappers in a car park in canton Vaud.
This content was published on
The gang used two black cars in their daring raid late Monday, grabbed the cache of 120 parcels containing the stones and sped off into the darkness, said Anja Bijnens, spokeswoman for the Brussels prosecutor’s office. “They tried to pass themselves off as police officers,” Bijnens added. They reportedly wore outfits which resembled dark police…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.