Gardaí in Dublin and Carlow are investigating a kidnap and robbery after an employee was forced to hand over a reported €2 million in cash after his wife was held overnight.
The Garda press office said the man, an employee of a cash-in-transit firm, was forced to hand over cash from a security van in Carlow town shortly before 10am.
Bank officials' union chief Larry Broderick
The statement said he was "approached" at his home in Lucan, Co Dublin, last night. "His wife was taken from the home and held at an unknown location while her husband was held at the house," the statement added.
"This morning he was forced to drive to Carlow to hand over cash from a security van. Gardaí from Rathcoole have located the kidnapped woman at 11.30am this morning."
Gardaí have located a car they believe to have been involved in the robbery. The green Toyota with the registration 02 D 53074 was found at approximately 3.30pm at Frederick Avenue, which is just off the Athy Road in Carlow.
The Garda statement said three crime scenes at Carlow town, Rathcoole and Lucan are being examined. It is not known how many raiders were involved.
The robbery bears a similarity to other "tiger kidnappings" recently, where bank or post office employees or their families are held captive in a bid to force them to hand over money.
It is the third such incident so far this year.
In the first incident, on January 7th, three armed men took a security firm worker and two others hostage in Swords, north Co Dublin, before demanding cash be handed over from the company.
The attempted robbery was foiled after two of the hostages managed to escape from a derelict house in the Oldtown area of the town and alert gardai.
In the second incident, two men targeted a young couple in the village of Muff, Co Donegal. During the cross-Border robbery, the man was held at the home while his partner was forced to hand over cash from McDonald's fast food outlet in Derry's Waterside.
The main union representing bank officials, the IBOA, advised staff to "think carefully" before agreeing to become keyholder in light of the latest kidnapping.
IBOA general secretary Larry Broderick noted this was the latest incident in less than a week and said the union's members throughout Ireland are "genuinely concerned for their safety and well-being.
Senator Joanna Tuffy
"It is clear that there is a growing trend whereby bank staff are regarded as particularly vulnerable and viewed as a 'soft-target' by criminal gangs," Mr Broderick said.
"There is an urgent need to address this issue, and IBOA would strongly advise members to think very carefully before agreeing to act as key holders.
"IBOA believes the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice should initiate a joint working group involving the gardaí, Department of Justice, banking and security industry as well as staff representatives to monitor developments in the general area of security within the financial services sector.
"IBOA believes this body should have as its main remit, an examination of practical measures that will enhance the security and safety of staff and their families," he said.
Labour's spokeswoman on justice in the Seanad, Joanna Tuffy, said: "It is clear that gardaí need to get to grips with these incidents, which seem to be occurring with increased frequency.
"We have seen a number of incidents in recent months where gangs have been able to walk away with huge sums of money from financial institutions with what appears to ridiculous ease. New procedures are now needed to deal with the threat."
She called on the Minister for Justice to convene a meeting between the various parties to review procedures and improve security against such kidnappings.