Stun grenades and helicopter used to trap thieves

The hunters became the hunted as scenes akin to a Hollywood cops and robbers blockbuster unfolded in a quiet, middle-class rural community.

Many people living in tranquil village of Glounthaune, 9km east of Cork City, were savouring a repeat showing of Cork’s hurling triumph on The Sunday Game when the rotor blades of a helicopter suddenly swished overhead, torches lit up fields and armed gardaí flooded the area.

The surreal scenes soon stunned many locals, who began to get “very spooked” when detectives told them to lock their doors, close their windows and not to come out of their homes as armed criminals were on the loose.