Seven people arrested in connection with a so-called tiger kidnapping that occurred in Dublin last month are continuing to be question by gardaí.
The five men and two women were arrested yesterday morning after gardaí conducted 18 searches in counties Dublin, Meath and Wexford.
Officers from the Dublin South Central Division supported by members of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Special Detective Unit and Organised Crime Unit carried out the searches.
The seven, aged between 25 and 35, are being held at Donnybrook, Pearse Street, Harcourt Terrace, Kevin Street and Kilmainham, Crumlin, Irishtown Garda stations. They are being detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2007.
On Monday, January 4th, a security guard and two members of his family were taken hostage, leading to the theft of more than €100,000.
The Brinks Allied employee was targeted by a gang of four masked and armed men who entered his home off Bath Avenue in Irishtown, Dublin, at 6.30am.
They took his mother, who is in her 70s, and niece hostage and forced him to drive to the Bank of Ireland on O’Connell Street where his company was delivering cash yesterday morning. They also gave him a mobile phone.
The robbery appeared to be well planned as the gang knew a cash delivery was due, and they also knew where the kidnapped man and his family lived.
The employee obtained a quantity of cash from the bank and was directed to go to a hotel car park in Drumcondra in a white Renault van, where he left the vehicle.
He then took a Dart to Bray where he alerted gardaí to the disappearance of the money.
His mother and niece were held captive for about six hours before they were released in the Newvale Crescent estate in Shankill, south Dublin.