Armed raiders disguised their getaway vehicle as Garda car

ARMED raiders who stole over €100,000 from a cash delivery van in Cork disguised their getaway car as an unmarked Garda car.

They put a flashing blue light on the dashboard of their stolen black Saab as it sped from the scene of Wednesday’s robbery at a petrol station in Carrigaline.

Eyewitnesses told gardaí they thought it was an unmarked Garda car.

The details emerged last night as gardaí confirmed the raiders struck just as two G4S cash delivery van staff were refilling the ATM in the Maxol filling station on Carr’s Hill at about 4.30pm.

The cash had been removed from secure storage boxes and was being placed in special ATM trays when two masked raiders armed with sawn-off shotguns confronted the security men. They made off with over €100,000, possibly up to €140,000, in cash still stacked in the trays.

The incident was over within seconds. The security staff were shocked, but uninjured.

The men sped off in a black Saab driven by a third masked man towards Cork city, with a blue light flashing on the dashboard.

The car, which was fitted with false number plates, had been stolen in the Douglas area last November.

It was found burnt out near Ballinora GAA club, near Waterfall on the western outskirts of the city, about 30 minutes later.

Superintendent Charlie Barry is leading the investigation and said detectives spent yesterday viewing CCTV footage from the petrol station. He said the raiders could have been lying in wait for the cash-in-transit van for up to 15 minutes.

He said gardaí have traced the cross-country route they believe the raiders used to get from Carrigaline to Ballinora and are investigating reports that a “dirty blue” car was waiting for the gang near Ballinora GAA club.

Gardaí are expected to issue an appeal today for help in relation to several areas relating to the investigation, including where the Saab was stored and its movements since it was stolen in November.

Gardaí are also examining the possibility that a criminal gang based on the southside of the city was involved. One of the lines of inquiry being followed is that the family-based gang was under pressure to pay a substantial drugs debt.

* Anyone with information should contact Togher Garda Station on 021 494 7120.