AERIAL MAN HUNT

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 647, 27 September 1933, Page 7

AERIAL MAN HUNT

DETECTIYES SEARCH EUROPE IN SPECIAL 'PLANES. FORGED BANK NOTES. Scotland Yard's most spectaeular man-hunt ended in the discovery oi an international gang of alleged bank note forgers and the confiscation of ia printing press and notes valued at ' thousands of pounds which can only [ he distinguished from the genuine by ! scientific tests. Six men alleged to have been connected with the forgeries have been arrested. Four more arrests are expected. This is Scotland Yard's most sensasational coup. Specially selected men from the Yard for weeks co-operated with the police from Berlin, Paris, Vienna, The Hague and Amsterdam in the search for forgers of bank notes of large denominations, including those of the Banlc of England. Three men were arrested at the requcst of Scotland Yard by the Dutch police. Three more were arrested in Gerinany. - The four arrests to be made are also expected to take place in Germany. Forged Bank of England £10 notes of a face value of more than £20,000 have been recovered by Scotland Yard. Tests at Bank o'f England. Bank of England experts, shown ' samples of these notes, could not detect them at first. Later they distinguished them from genuine notes by making scientific tests. These forgeries are so skilful that any ordin■ary person cannot defect them. Ihe forgeries were first discovered hy Bank of England experts when th° notes were returned in the ordinary way hy Continental bauks. The bank asked Scotland Yard to trace the forgers. Superintendent Horwell, instructed hy Mr. Norman Kendal, assistant commissioner, took charge of thq in-4 vestigation. He at once reached the conclusion that the notes were being printed abroad. Night Flight to Amsterdam. Selected senior officers, each an expert (in disguises, and speaking two or more different languages, combed the Continent. Officers flew from London to Amsterdam and Berlin during the search. Aeroplanes were also chartered for trans-Continental journeys. The -first arrests were made after Scotland Yard officers had made a dramatic flight from Croydon to Amsterdam by night. A Dutchman and a Russian were arrested, and were alleged to have forged notes valued at more than £5200 in their possession. Brilliant detective; work by Superintendent Horwell and other Yard men, aided by a new system of international police co-operation recently instituted, led to the discovery of the headquarters of a gang in Germany, the location of a printing press, en- j gravings and paper.