Two families held hostage in heist

A GANG held two employees’ families hostage to rob Boots the chemist in Belfast City Centre of £118,000 (€172,500), police revealed yesterday.

The raid happened on Saturday morning and detectives played down initial suspicions that the IRA might have been involved.

It took place just yards from the multi-million pounds Northern Bank heist in December, which has been blamed on the Provisionals, and at first fuelled fears that the organisation had struck again.

Similar tactics were used, with two families held captive in their homes in the south and west of the city overnight.

The two Boots’ staff members were then ordered to go into work on Saturday and clear out all the cash.

The money was put into sports bags and given to gang members waiting at a building society branch close to the scene on Donegall Place. The hand-over, in front of early morning shoppers, took place within sight of the Northern’s HQ where £26.5 million (€38.5m) was seized from the vaults and carried out by employees who had also had family taken hostage.

But the detective in charge of the new investigation yesterday appeared to dismiss any involvement by the IRA. Chief Inspector Ian Gilchrist said: “There’s in the region of possibly six to 10 persons involved in the crime. The investigation is at a very early stage. In saying that, at this stage paramilitary involvement is not a main line of inquiry.”

Boots has launched a review of security at the store following the raid, and the company have pledged to do all they can to protect the safety of their staff, families and customers.