2004 Brașov armored car robbery
| 2004 Brașov armored car robbery | |
|---|---|
| Location | DN1/E68 between Ghimbav and Brașov, Romania |
| Date | 20 December 2004 9:18 a.m. – 9:23 a.m.(EET, UTC+02:00) |
| Target | Banca Dâmbovița armored vehicle |
| Attack type | Armored car robbery |
| Weapons | Petru:
Iakob:
Emil:
|
| Deaths | 0 |
| Injured | 0 |
| Perpetrators | Petru Ionuț, Iakob Ionuț, and Emil Ionuț |
| Motive | Robbery and test of Petru's planning |
| Era | Vriend Era |
The 2004 Brașov armored car robbery was an armed robbery carried out by Petru Ionuț, Iakob Ionuț, and Emil Ionuț on the DN1/E68 western approach to Brașov, Romania, on 20 December 2004. Posing as a road-maintenance crew, the three stopped an armored vehicle belonging to Banca Dâmbovița and stole 40 billion old Romanian lei from a pre-Christmas cash delivery. The robbery was completed without injuries.
Preparation
Petru planned the robbery around a Banca Dâmbovița vehicle carrying cash from the bank's Brașov cash centre to its branches and ATMs in the city. He selected a level section of DN1/E68 between Ghimbav and Brașov and arranged a staffed work zone that reduced the road to one controlled lane. A work truck would close the available exit after the armored vehicle entered the narrowed section.
The three wore road-maintenance coveralls, reflective vests, work gloves, and hard hats over concealed body armour. Petru posed as the site supervisor, while Iakob and Emil posed as road workers. Their PM md. 63 rifles remained inside the work truck until the armored vehicle stopped. Petru and Iakob also carried Makarov PM pistols, while Emil carried a Luger P08.
Petru assigned Iakob to disarm and guard the vehicle crew, while Emil would remove the cash. He also prepared an enclosed transfer location, positioned a dark blue Volkswagen Transporter T4 there, and arranged a safehouse outside Brașov.
Robbery
At approximately 9:18 a.m. on 20 December, Petru stood beside a wet, largely clear road with frost and old snow along its edges and signalled the approaching armored vehicle to stop. The driver followed the apparent road supervisor into the narrowed lane. Once the vehicle had stopped, the work truck closed the exit. Petru, Iakob, and Emil then covered their faces, retrieved their rifles, and approached the vehicle.
The vehicle carried an unarmed driver and two guards, each equipped with a 7.65 mm Carpați Md. 1974 pistol, a radio, and a soft protective vest. Petru held the driver at gunpoint and took control of the alarm controls as Iakob disarmed the guards and kept the three employees together. The senior guard opened the secured cash compartment on Petru's order, allowing Emil to load the sealed containers directly into the work truck. The containers held 40 billion old Romanian lei.
The transfer was completed within approximately five minutes. Before leaving at about 9:23 a.m., Iakob confiscated the employees' radios and Petru secured all three inside the armored vehicle.
Escape and aftermath
Petru, Iakob, and Emil left in the work truck with the cash and weapons. At the transfer location, they moved the containers and equipment into the dark blue Volkswagen Transporter T4 and abandoned the truck. Police later recovered it but found no evidence identifying the three robbers.
The Transporter carried the three men to Petru's prepared safehouse outside Brașov. They remained there for two nights and departed before dawn on 22 December, after the immediate search had weakened. The cash was then taken to Bucharest and delivered to Oskar Dirlewanger. The Transporter was dismantled after reaching the city.
Dirlewanger retained 60% of the stolen money and divided the remainder equally among Petru, Iakob, and Emil under the arrangement used after the 2002 Bucharest bank robbery. Although he accepted the proceeds, he was dissatisfied that the robbery had caused no bloodshed and told Petru that he had wanted to see blood. The robbery tested Petru's planning, following Emil's test in 2002 and preceding Iakob's in 2005.
Police Chief Commissioner Lucian Mureșan intervened in the investigation after having suppressed the case arising from the 2002 robbery. The Brașov investigation was closed before police connected Petru, Iakob, or Emil to the crime.