Garda hopeful kidnap van may offer forensic clues

Gardaí investigating a kidnapping in which a ransom of more than €200,000 was paid to a gang that kept a mother and daughter hostage at gunpoint are hopeful a van used by the raiders will yield vital forensic evidence.

The husband of the woman held hostage works for cash-in- transit company GSLS and was forced to go to work early yesterday to get access to the cash to give to the gang.

The family’s ordeal began at about 8pm on Wednesday when the raiders forced their way into their home at Gracefield Road, Artane, Dublin, and only ended 12 hours later.

Security sources said the female hostages were found when a member of the public heard "banging and screaming" coming from the back of a small VW Caddy van – which had been used by the gang – parked on a residential road in the Chestnut Grove housing estate in Dunboyne, Co Meath. When the local person went to investigate, the hostages were discovered in the back of the vehicle.

Rendezvous point

While the women were being held hostage earlier in the morning, initially at their home in Artane, the father of the family was instructed to go to work as normal. He was told to drive the GSLS van from south Dublin, where he worked, to a rendezvous point at the Dublin Airport campus.

He was threatened that his wife and daughter would be harmed if he tried to raise the alarm or refused to surrender cash to the gang.

At least €200,000 in untraceable notes was given to one of the attackers by the man at the airport at about 8am yesterday. The man then raised the alarm.

That raider was using a second vehicle and once he took the cash he drove off.

Gardaí are now hopeful the vehicle the women were held in can yield forensic evidence that will lead them to the raiders.

“There may be forensics, not only from the people involved; but possibly from somebody who stole the van and supplied it to them,” said one source.

As well as the criminal investigation, gardaí are also investigating whether measures in a voluntary code of conduct cash- in-transit companies signed up to were followed.

In the past, senior Garda officers have been angered when employees in banks or security companies that transport cash have paid ransoms before contacting gardaí.

The family’s ordeal began at about 8pm on Wednesday, when the raiders forced their way into their Artane home. The men, at least one of whom was armed, remained at the Artane property until about 5am.

At that point all three raiders left the mother and her adult daughter tied up in the back of the VW van and they were driven around for between two and three hours.

Supt Gerry Donnelly said the investigating team based in Coolock, north Dublin, believed three raiders were involved in the raid. "They were masked, wearing ski masks, and were wearing gloves. All were described as having Dublin accents," he said.

“We understand one of the raiders may have been in possession of a handgun. That’s what we believe at the moment but we’re at the early stages of our investigation and we’re still in the process of interviewing the victims.They have not been physically injured but naturally enough this was an extremely traumatic incident for them and they’re very traumatised at the moment.”

Appeal for witnesses

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious at a number of locations between Wednesday night and yesterday morning to contact them. These locations include the Artane roundabout and nearby Gracefield Road, where the family was abducted, as well as in Chestnut Grove, Dunboyne, and Corballis Road Business Park.

The VW Caddy van is described as having a 09 D registration and was silver or white in colour.

Gardaí also believe another vehicle, described as a “small, white, box-type van” was used by the gang members who collected the money case at Corballis Road Business Park, Dublin Airport, and have urged anyone who may have seen it there between 7.30am and 8am to come forward.

The robbery comes after a lull in such raids and will raise fears of a fresh spate as other criminal gangs look on at the apparent success of the attack.

Siptu, which represents many cash-in- transit sector workers, called on Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald to make compulsory training for workers in how to deal with so called tiger kidnappings.

Siptu organiser Brendan Carr said such action was needed immediately.

“While there are compulsory procedures and regulations to protect the cash, the vans and the buildings, there are no similar measures in place when it comes to preparing workers so they can do everything possible to protect themselves and their families,” he said.

“Rectifying this issue and introducing adequate training and procedures for workers must become a top priority for the Minister.

“Otherwise cash in transit workers will continue to be vulnerable to horrific attacks such as that endured by a worker and his family today.”