Bank robbers steal £20m

A gang may have got away with at least £20 million after raiding the headquarters of the Northern Bank in Belfast, it emerged today.

Two senior members of staff and their families were held hostage at their homes on the outskirts of the city, and Loughinisland, Co Down, as part of an elaborate plan to raid the bank's cash centre.

It was the biggest heist of its type ever staged in Northern Ireland.

No figure has been put on the amount taken, but estimates vary between £20 million and £30 million.

It is understood the gang went to the employees' houses on Sunday.
The officials, both keyholders, were ordered to go into work the following day as usual.

It was at the close of business on Monday that the operation to empty the vaults swung into action.

At least one lorry would have been needed to ship the cash out.

The robbery came a week after the Northern Bank, part of the National Bank of Australia group, was sold off to Denmark's biggest bank, Danske.

Detectives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland's new Crime Operations Department were heading up the hunt for the thieves.

The PSNI refused to discuss how much was stolen.

A spokeswoman said: "Detectives are investigating the removal of a substantial amount of cash from a bank in the Belfast area."