Burnt bank notes from burglary?

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 3

Burnt bank notes from burglary?

Charred banknotes taken in a burglary of an Auckland service station may be circulating in Christchurch.

A $2O note with charred ends had been used to pay for petrol at a Bexley service station on Sunday evening, said Detective Senior-Ser-geant David Whitford, of the Christchurch C. 1.8. It may have been part of a haul of more than $lO,OOO recently taken from a floor safe at a service station in Point Chevalier, Auckland. The thieves used gas-cutting equipment to cut into the safe and it was thought that the money would have been burnt by the cutting torch. Detective Senior-Ser-geant Whitford said that the owner of the Bexley service station ap-

proached the police when he later read a newspaper report of the Auckland incident. His customer had handed over only one charred note, but had several more in his possession. “We do not know if it is associated with the Auckland burglary,” said Detective Senior-Ser-geant Whitford. “But we cannot think of any crime in the Christchurch area where burnt money would have been obtained.” The police warned the public to be on the lookout for burnt banknotes. They would also like to hear from the man who passed the note at the Christchurch service station if he has an innocent explanation for the condition of his money.