BULLION THEFT.

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 291, 21 November 1936, Page 7

BULLION THEFT.

ROBBERY «N LONDON. ' RAILWAY VAN BURGLED. Ono morning last month bullion worth about £3500 was stolen Iron a railway van in a Glerkenweli street London. It was evident that the rob z bery had been carefully planned The thieves used a barrow to biocl the passage of the van, and when tilt drixer's boy lefl the van to remove the obstruction they took the box in winch the metal was packed and made off. Ingots, Gold-dust and Coins. The box contained gold ingots coin and dust, which were be.ng dei.xered to the Sheffield smelling Company, Ltd/ Berry Street, Llerkenweil. Though the van was packed with bullion the thieves stole only one box. It took them only a lew seconds lo commit the robbery, and Lucy drove away at such a speed lhat p, . pie had to .lump in order to escape a.jury. 1 ne bullion was being delivered by a Loudon and North ikislem Railway van. According to the driver,- be was m W'oinbr.uge Slreet, Glerkenweli, a very narrow thoroughfare with room for only one -vehicle, when he saw a coster's barrow drawn across the stieet. He jumped down lo remove the barrow. Almost al the same tune a man him juid threatened to strike him with ap iron b«r if lie moveu. He heard sounds of southing being taken from the back of his van, and soon aiTerwaiyjs saw a motor car lc ng driven away al high speed. An- A. Millward, a local municipal wmker, who was in Wooldridge street al the time, slated that lie bad d lliculty' in avoiding be.ng knocked down by the thieves' car He was m Hie in (Idle of the road when a fawncoloured ear suddenly appeared, ami , lie jumped out 0' its way. If he had not done so he -was sure l it would lave knocked him down. He had no lime to notice the number, but saw iwo -or three men in the vehicle as it d sapneared round a corner. Inquiries show lhat there, were several men in doorways when the van arrived in the slreet. and as soon us it appeared they went up to it ncidenlaily 1 the center's barrow was damaged by the escaping car, and was later taken lo Glerkenweli police station. Driver and Boy Interrogated. After the driver of Hie van and his boy had been questioned at Scotland sard by detectives, descriptions of four men were sent to all police stations in the metropolitan district, and flying squads amt other mobile officers were sent out in search of the thieves.

A similar robbery was commit led about three years ago, when gold valued at £lO,OOO was stolen from a railway parcels van near Gray’s Inn Hoad, on its way from Sheffield to the Sheffield Smelting Company, Ltd.