BANK ROBBERY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1635, 31 December 1912, Page 5

BANK ROBBERY.

CLEVER CRACKSMEN AT WORK. X 2300 .ABSTRACTED. By Teloirraph.—Frees Association—Oopyrlffhi .Sydney, December 30. A mysterious robbery has been discovered at tho Surrey Hills branch of the Bank of New South Wales, <£21300 having been abstracted from the strongroom. The branch ha 9 just been, built, and had only been used for business for half a day. The authorities took possession on Friday. The robbery was discovered by the teller, who sleeps on the premises. He missed his portmanteau from his room last night, and during a search for it he found a packet of coppers in the. back yard. Hurrying inside, he discovered the strongroom. had been opened and closed again. Nearly all the money it contained, except a few packets of coppers, had disappeared. The mystery arises from the fact that the strongroom was fastened with a Chubb lock, which was only opened by two keys, the manager holding one and the teller the other. They locked the safe, together on Saturday at 1.30 p.m., noting carefully that both keys turned. The robbers on closing tho door only turned the key corresponding to the teller's, thus leaving the safe half-locked, j Of the. missing money, ,£4OO consisted of : gold, ,£I2OO of silver, a few pounds in copper, and the balance in notes. This is a heavy load, for two portmanteaux could , not carry it; two bags at least must have been used. The irony of it all is that the bank's backyard, through, which it.is believed the thieves escaped, faces the Bourke Street Police Barracks, where an army of ! constables is constantly in training. The only solution suggested at present is that moulds of the locks were taken while the strongroom was being construct-, ed. This happened recently in the case of an important city building. POLICE. INVESTIGATIONS. TRACES OF EXPERT HANDS. (Rec. December 30, 10 p.m.) Sydney, December 30. Police investigations of the robbery showed that o clever daring cracksman ■had been at work.'- When the cover was removed from, the locks, it /became evident that the levers had been cut and filed, in some cases fully an eight of an, inch. The oracksman had evidently displayed extreme care, for the locks of the safe door were marked "T.B."—"top bottom"— so that no mistake would be made when replacing the levers, which were also ; marked with the same object in view. The strongroom door had been lvung about six weeks before, and the- thieves must have visited the premises one night while they were unoccupied, removed the ' locks,- cut them to fit their keys, and replaced them.