STOLEN SAFES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 21, 25 January 1934, Page 10

STOLEN SAFES

AUDACIOUS THIEVES

RANSOM FOR PAPERS

VICTORIAN SENSATION

(From "The Post's" Representative.) SYDNEY, January IS.

Secret trysts near lonely disused quarries with guards watching all the roads, mysterious telephone calls, and tho surreptitious payment of large sums of money for tho recovery of stolen papers, arc the extraordinary features of disclosures made in Melbouruo following a police inquiry into ii number of recent safe robberies. The robberies have been committed by a gang of four or five young men of exceptional daring. On each occasion tho heavy safes have been taken away and blown open in some deserted district. The evidence has been buried in the beds of isolated crooks.

After they had stolen a safe the practice of the gang was to telephone the victim and inform him that although his safe had been blown to pieces and the money taken, the papers and books that were in tho safe had been kept in good condition. As they were probably of vital importance to tho owner, and were of no value to the 'thief, they would be returned on tho payment of a substantial sum of money, the payment to be made at a secret place. It is known that at least two victims paid over a sum of money for tho return of their books, and it is beliovcd that many others have done so but, for frar of reprisals, have refrained from giving the authorities any information.

The known victims of the gang arc Messrs. Pcake and Cox, of Mitcham, and Messrs. Long and Maskell, of Glcnhuntly. Both aro timber merchants, and on the payment of twofiguro sums they had tho firms' private books and papers returned to them at secret meetings with members of the gang. Tho gang is held responsible, also, for tho theft of the Mitcham railway safe, and for the removal of other safes in the samo town. One solicitor, whoso safe was stolen, made an-appeal through tho Press for the return of his papers which, ho said, were of no value to the thieves, but of the greatest value to him. It is significant that there should have been no response to the appeal, and tho police believe that the gang feared that a trap had been laid for them.

Mr. Peakc said that ho was so anxious to secure the return of his papers that he had decided to- advertise. Howover, before his appeal was published, Ho received a 'demand from the gang foiva large sum, on payment of which the papers would be returned. % In response to a telephone call he went to a, lonely quarry, which was guarded by men who were stationed on tho high, banks. He received his papers after he had paid over to his guide the amount that had been stipulated. Mr. E. Long said that he also received a mysterious message, and he went to a lonely road. There he was told to wait for a while. He did so and received his papers after ho had paid over the amount agreed upon during a telephone conversation. As the guides in each case were disguised, the police have not been able to secure a satisfactory description of. them.