Five indictments in Lyon for the theft of 9 million euros in the robbery of an armored van in 2020
Suspected of having participated in the theft of 9 million euros, during the attack on an armored van perpetrated in Lyon, on August 28, 2020, three men and two women were indicted, Friday, May 13, at the palace of Justice of Lyons. An amount of around 150,000 euros in cash was found during several searches carried out in the Lyon region by investigators from the crime prevention brigade of the judicial police (PJ) of Lyon, and by the central office in the fight against organized crime. The PJ also uncovered an investment in real estate in Dubai, which may have come from the spoils of the spectacular heist.
Among the five suspects brought before the investigating judge is Salim M., 34, a former cash courier for the Loomis company, target of the robbery. The man was indicted and imprisoned for “armed robbery organized in a gang”, “criminal association” and “laundering”. He is suspected of having facilitated the attack while driving the attacked van, according to investigations by the judicial police. Discretion and patience: for failing to respect these basic rules of organized crime, Salim M. inevitably drew attention to his reckless spending. Motorcycles, purchase of an apartment in Villeurbanne (Rhône)… the bodybuilding enthusiast crystallized the doubts that the investigators had immediately had about him.
From the start of the search, the police mentioned in their reports that the driver of the armored van had “gently reversed”, at the time of the assault, shortly before 9 a.m., led by a commando of “six to eight malefactors”. Blocked by two utility vans, in a street of 7and district of Lyon, the armored vehicle was then opened and relieved of its 34 boxes, containing a total of 9 million euros in different denominations. The van and the two utilities were set on fire on the spot, while the gang left in two sedans, also set on fire later, in Vernaison, south of Lyon. The coup recalls the case of the century of the conveyor Toni Musulin, in 2009, and his 11 million euros stolen not far from the scene of this new attack.
Double-dealing
The PJ sleuths still flinched when the driver’s version contradicted other testimonies. Salim M. was the only one to test the use of an explosive framework, stuck on the windshield of the vehicle by the assailants, as if he had to prove his docility to open the side door of the vehicle. Another surprise: the driver had insisted on driving this tour, claiming a secondary job at night, in a nightclub. “At 8 a.m., the whole team was ready to leave,” Was surprised a manager of Loomis, unaccustomed to such punctuality in the young driver.
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