Top Five Most Robberies in History
Robbery has been a part of history for centuries, but some have been more notorious than others. This blog post will explore the top five most robberies in history. We'll take a look at what happened, who was involved, and why these robberies are still remembered today. Whether it was a daring heist or a daring individual, these are the top five robberies that will go down in history.
The Great Train Robbery
The robbers gained access to the train by cutting a hole in the side of the carriage and entering through the window. They then broke into the Royal Mail's Travelling Post Office, which was transporting vast amounts of money and securities between London and Glasgow. The robbers used oxyacetylene torches to cut open 113 mailbags and remove the valuables inside, before escaping with their loot.
The robbery was so well planned that only one member of the gang was caught and he was later released after serving just five years in prison. To this day, only a small portion of the stolen money has ever been recovered. The robbery continues to fascinate the public and has since been immortalised in popular culture, inspiring films such as The Great Train Robbery (1978) and The Bank Job (2008).
The Brink's-Mat Robbery
The Brink's-Mat Robbery was a daring heist that occurred in 1983 at the Heathrow Airport in London. A group of six men were able to break into the warehouse where Brink's-Mat, a gold bullion storage company, was storing 6,800 gold bars and other precious metals worth an estimated 26 million pounds. The men managed to overpower the guard on duty, before eventually making off with the valuables in two vans.
The crime initially went undetected for several days, until police later discovered that the robbers had broken into the warehouse using a large cutting torch and explosives. It was also revealed that the robbers had acquired information about the security system and layout of the warehouse prior to the heist.
The men eventually sold much of the stolen gold to several fences, who had melted it down into smaller pieces and sold them to jewellers. Police were able to recover around 2 million pounds worth of stolen property from various fences, but the majority of the gold was never found.
In 1984, three of the robbers were eventually arrested and charged with the theft. In total, seven people were convicted in relation to the robbery. Despite the fact that the thieves only got away with a fraction of the stolen gold, the Brink's-Mat Robbery is still considered one of the biggest robberies in history.
The Great Jewel Robbery
The Great Jewel Robbery, also known as the Bond Street Heist, occurred on April 9, 2015, and was one of the most daring robberies in history. On that day, three armed robbers broke into the luxury jewelry store Graff Diamonds in London’s Bond Street and stole more than £40 million worth of jewelry, including some of the world’s most valuable diamonds. The robbers made off with some of the rarest and most expensive jewellery pieces on earth, including an emerald-cut 8.06-carat pink diamond.
Although no one was injured during the robbery, the store’s security staff was threatened with a gun. The robbers escaped on scooters and were never caught, making it one of the greatest unsolved robberies in British history.
The police have said that they believe the robbers had inside help to pull off the heist. After the robbery, there was speculation that the diamonds may have been sold to buyers in Dubai or Hong Kong. To this day, the robbers have never been caught and the stolen jewellery has never been recovered.
The Boston Museum Heist
The Boston Museum Heist took place in the early morning hours of March 18, 1990. On that day, two thieves broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts and made off with a staggering $500 million worth of art. The stolen pieces included works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, Manet, and Degas.
The thieves entered the museum through a security gate and disabled the alarms. They then proceeded to cut several paintings out of their frames, smash glass cases, and grab sculptures. In total, they stole 13 pieces, the largest single property crime in U.S. history.
To this day, the crime remains unsolved and none of the artwork has been recovered. Investigators believe that the stolen art was either sold on the black market or taken out of the country. There is also speculation that the two men were members of a criminal organization that specializes in art thefts.
The FBI has offered a reward of up to $5 million for any information leading to the recovery of the stolen artwork. The museum has also set up a $10 million reward for anyone who can provide information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.
The Gardner Heist stands as a cautionary tale of just how vulnerable even a secure museum can be to theft. Despite the best efforts of security guards and sophisticated alarm systems, criminals are still able to get away with valuable art and artefacts. To this day, the investigation into the Gardner Heist continues and there is still hope that one day the stolen artwork will be recovered.
The Antwerp Diamond Heist
The Antwerp Diamond Heist of 2003 is considered one of the biggest robberies in history. It was pulled off by a gang of criminals from Italy, led by Leonardo Notarbartolo. The heist involved stealing over 100 million euros worth of diamonds and gold from the Antwerp Diamond Center in Belgium.
The gang spent nearly a year preparing for the heist, even going as far as to rent a nearby apartment and use it as their base of operations. On February 16th, 2003, they broke into the Antwerp Diamond Center and were able to bypass the tight security measures put in place to protect the diamond vault. They were then able to get away with the diamonds and gold without being detected.
It took authorities two years to finally catch the gang and bring them to justice. Notarbartolo was sentenced to ten years in prison while the other members of his crew were given lesser sentences. To this day, most of the stolen gems and gold have yet to be recovered.
This infamous robbery has been the subject of numerous books, documentaries, and movies, giving it a place in crime history. While the Antwerp Diamond Heist has been overshadowed by some of the more notorious robberies, it is still considered one of the greatest heists ever pulled off.