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Heists and
robberies are stains upon the frame of our history and current society.
However, as bad as these actions may be, they still seem to have an
attraction to some people. Maybe it’s the fact that a person is doing
something which society frowns upon? Or maybe it’s truly about the cash,
jewels, gold, etc. Whatever the reason may be, some heists have gone
down in history as some of the most spectacular displays of criminal
activity ever. From the Garden Museum Heist to the Harry Winston heist
these are some most ambitious heists and robberies in history.
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The Sonali Bank Heist
On January 26, 2014, a Sonali Bank branch in Kishoreganj was robbed of
169 million Bangladeshi taka after two men tunneled their way into the
vault from an abandoned room of a neighboring house. Unfortunately for
the robbers, the Hollywood-style heist didn’t have a happy ending even
though it was almost perfectly executed: the mastermind behind the
biggest bank robbery in Bangladesh history was eventually arrested. |
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The British Bank of the Middle East Robbery
On January 20, 1976, a group associated with Yasser Arafat’s Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) exploited the chaos of the country’s civil
war and broke into the British Bank of the Middle East in Beirut. The
robbers blasted through a wall which the bank shared with a Catholic
church then cracked the bank’s vault and plundered its contents
(anywhere from $20 million to $50 million in gold bars, Lebanese and
foreign currency, stocks and jewels). Today the loot is valued at more
than three times what it was worth in 1976. |
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The 1798 Bank of Pennsylvania Heist
Known as America’s first bank robbery, the 1798 Bank of Pennsylvania
heist occurred in the predawn hours of September 1, 1798. $162,821 was
stolen from the bank, which may not seem like much, but back then, that
was a lot of money. |
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The Chelembra Bank Robbery
The Chelembra Bank robbery in Kerala, India is considered one of the
biggest bank robberies in Indian history. In the early hours of December
30, 2007, the robbers made a hole in the floor of the Bank of Kerala and
got away with eighty kilograms of gold and five million rupees, a total
value of eighty million rupees. The culprits were arrested two months
later. |
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The Historic Bank of Australia Robbery
The Bank of Australia robbery was the first bank robbery in Australia.
On September 14, 1828, a gang of five robbers tunneled through a sewage
drain into the vault of the Bank of Australia and stole about £14,000 in
promissory notes and coins. Unfortunately for the gang, the theft was
discovered the next day and all five members were arrested.
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The Plymouth Mail Truck Robbery
On August 14, 1962, two men stopped a US Mail truck that was on its way
to deliver a shipment to the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston. The
delivery consisted of bags and pouches containing more than $1.5 million
in cash. Armed with shotguns and aided by accomplices who were diverting
traffic away from the scene of the robbery, the thieves got away with
all the cash.
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The Banco Central Burglary
According to most experts, the Banco Central burglary in Brazil was the
site of one of the most amazing displays of engineering skills. Using an
ingenious front as a landscaping company, a group of extremely brave
robbers managed to tunnel 250 feet beneath the bank. The thieves
“collected” about $70 million, but police managed to arrest eight of the
twenty-five people believed to be involved.
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