Masked thieves stage heist worth $150,000 in Istanbul exchange bureau

ISTANBUL

Istanbul police are searching for a masked group of thieves who stole around $150,000 from an exchange bureau early on July 23, local media has reported.

The masked group of 10 came to the crime scene at around 4:00 a.m. in two vehicles, and opened the gate using an automatic key they had made a copy of, the reports said, citing eyewitness reports.

Following the heist, the group of suspects who were apparently wearing gloves left the scene in Istanbul’s Fatih district in a single vehicle.

Following the incident, law enforcement officials were appointed to the exchange bureau where the police conducted an examination for evidence, reports said.

It was not clarified whether the 10 suspects were armed or not while staging the heist.

A district in Istanbul’s European side, Fatih houses a high number of exchange bureaus.

Not first heist in Fatih in 2018

In March, one armed man threatened a Fatih exchange bureau agent and stole an unidentified amount of cash, local agencies have reported.

Police officers then rushed to the scene when the agent pressed the panic button.

Officers then apprehended the armed suspect near the exchange office as he tried to run with the stolen money, according to local reports.