A gang of masked robbers posing as police officers carried out a dramatic, movie-style attack on an armoured cash van on a busy highway in southern Italy, triggering chaos in broad daylight. The brazen heist attempt, caught on camera and widely shared on X, has stunned viewers online.
According to a report by People, the incident unfolded on State Road 613 in the Puglia region on Monday morning when armed men shut down traffic after setting a truck on fire. In the video shared on X, the gang is seen ducking behind cars just moments before the armoured vehicle explodes, sending flames and metal flying into the air.
Authorities said the attackers were armed with Kalashnikov rifles and used explosives to blast open the rear of the armoured vehicle, which belonged to security firm Battistolli.
Watch the video below:
Highway heist
The officials said that despite the dramatic assault, the cash inside the van was not stolen. “The money transported in the armoured van was not stolen because after the explosion, the system’s Spumablock came into action,” Colonel Cristian Marello, head of the Carabinieri’s Lecce division, said, per the outlet.
{{/usCountry}}The officials said that despite the dramatic assault, the cash inside the van was not stolen. “The money transported in the armoured van was not stolen because after the explosion, the system’s Spumablock came into action,” Colonel Cristian Marello, head of the Carabinieri’s Lecce division, said, per the outlet.
{{/usCountry}}According to reports, the van was forced to stop after vehicles blocked the road. While some suspects attempted to unload items from the damaged vehicle, others reportedly opened fire at responding police.
Investigators believe at least one unmarked vehicle used in the raid had removable flashing lights to help disguise the suspects as law enforcement officers.
Police later found an abandoned Alfa Romeo, believed to have been used in the heist, abandoned in a field. Two suspects, aged 38 and 61, have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated robbery, possession of war weapons and explosives, and resisting public officials.
“The search for the other accomplices continues. We believe eight people participated in the assault,” Marello said.