Country Witnesses Biggest Bank Robbery in its History
At least three heavily armed men burgled as many as 420 of a total of 4,900 deposit boxes at SKB banka in Ljubljana in what is considered to be the biggest bank robbery in Slovenian history. The robbers surprised guards by announcing themselves over the phone as regular customers, tied up both guards and proceeded to break into the deposit boxes with welding torches.
It is as yet unclear how much valuables they managed to take away during the heist that lasted from Monday 11 PM to around 6 AM on Tuesday, when the police were notified of the crime. The police immediately launched a massive investigation, revealing only that the robbers escaped with two vehicles, which were soon found burnt down on the outskirts of the capital.
Owners of safety deposit boxes, which are available to them 24 hours a day, were outraged at what they consider poor safety standards at the bank, the fourth largest in the country and in majority ownership of France's Societe Generale.
SKB chief executive Cvetka Selsek reassured them they would be indemnified provided they can prove their loss, as the boxes are insured. She urged them to report their lost property "correctly" since the bank has no insight, in line with the law, into the contents of the safety despoit boxes. The affected customers began inspecting their boxes on 7 November on an one-by-one basis, meaning the process could take three weeks.
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