Police said yesterday that the gang got away with more than 22 million pounds, or about $42 million, more than originally estimated. The 45-member detective task force admitted it would be hard to track down a gang that left no apparent forensic evidence during its meticulously planned heist.
Police didn't learn of the crime until after 11 p.m. Monday, three hours after surveillance cameras recorded the gunmen's cash-packed van disappearing down Belfast's major highway. McMullan's wife, free of her blindfold but in soaking wet sneakers and suffering hypothermia in near-freezing temperatures, emerged from the forest to raise the alarm at a farmhouse.
About the same time, on the edge of west Belfast, gang members released the mother, father, brother, and brother's girlfriend of Ward, 23.
"This was a carefully planned operation by professional criminals who obviously had done their homework," Detective Superintendent Andy Sproule said.
Sproule said the gang took extensive precautions against leaving traces of their identities at either victim's house or the bank. "We have a long way to go before we have recovered the money or arrested the individuals," he said.
The gang remained masked and gloved and wore workmen's overalls, which Northern Ireland paramilitary groups regularly wear on operations and then burn afterward. Police said they suspect the robbers also trimmed their hair short to reduce the chance of dropped strands. The gunmen burned McMullan's car to destroy DNA and other forensic traces.
Both McMullan and Ward are key holders who work in Northern Bank's confidential underground vault, which stores cash from businesses and supplies the bank's 95 branches and hundreds of automated teller machines. The vault received exceptional volumes of cash Monday, reflecting the bustling buildup to Christmas.
