- Westpac did not go to police for three months after fake security guards walked from a branch with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The imposters dressed in uniforms and carried what police believe were pistols as they scooped the pool at the bank’s Niddrie branch.
They arrived at the Keilor Road branch at 9:05 am on April 12th this year to collect the fortune.
One waited outside and the other, described as looking like a bodybuilder, was led inside by the manager to collect bags of cash.
Both men then left the bank on foot and no vehicle was seen during the incident.
Two hours later, guards who were meant to be picking up the cash arrived.
“They came in at 11:00 am and were told there had already been a collection,” Detective Sergeant Mick Flanagan, of Moonee Ponds CIU, said.
The Herald Sun understands that, despite the scale of the theft, it was not reported to police until July.
Sergeant Flanagan said the thieves knew how cash carriers conducted business. They followed bank verification procedures designed to prevent thefts.
Sergeant Flanagan said there was potential for confrontation if the men were armed, as police suspected.
No one was injured during the incident.
Police have released CCTV footage of the men.
Westpac said it was unable to comment because the matter was the subject of a criminal investigation.
The man who walked into the bank is possibly of Pacific Islander background, aged 40-45, about 165-168 cm tall, with a solid, muscular build and olive to dark complexion.
The second man is about 180 cm tall and of medium to solid build.
Both wore shirts with what appeared to be Armaguard logos, green pants and baseball caps with Linfox logos – Mark Buttler
