RAILWAY YARD ROBBERY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19692, 20 January 1926, Page 7

RAILWAY YARD ROBBERY

A DARING RAID. MAIL REMOVED FROM VAN. PACKAGES RIFLED. A daring robbery of a mail van in the Dunedin railway yards was committed either on Saturday night or on Sunday, when a number of packages were rifled and the contents removed. Any suggestion that a gang of experts had been at work is discredited by the local police. Chief-detective Lewis stated yesterday that he believed the robbery was the work of an amateur or amateurs. He considers it even possible that the perpetrators were boys, who were familiar with tho mail despatching business, and had taken the opportunity presented to make a raid on the vans. He further declared that the crime was not as serious as might be suggested. The Van containing the mail was standing in the yard on the line known as the “chaff cutting” till 10 p.m. on Saturday, when, after being loaded with two trucks of parcels and other mail matter, it was shunted out to the centre of the yard. The mail matter was for Christchurch and Lyttelton. As is the practice, the van was carefully sealed before operations, and was under the supervision of the railway staff till it was attached to the 9.50 p.m. express train to Christchurch on Sunday. The discovery that the van had been broken into and some of the contents removed was only made when tho train arrived at Christchurch at 9.20 a.m. on Monday. iAs yet, it is impossible to ascertain the amount of mail stolen. The Postal officials, of course, will not have any definite knowledge of the value of the articles on the train until inquiries are completed. At a late hour last night, no arrests had been made by the police. NO DETAILS IN CHRISTCHURCH. THE POLICE RETICENT. (From Ouh Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, January 19. The railway authorities in Christchurch have not received details of the robbery, but they were advised by telegram from Dunedin that the tiwo K wagons, used as mail vans on the night goods express on Sunday, were found to be unlocked. The train with the two wagons arrived in Christchurch yesterday morning. “The Dunedin Office is dealing with the matter and we know nothing bebond the fact that the wagons were unlocked,” stated a railway official this afternoon. It is understood that no letters were included in the mail on the train, which, was purely a parcel mail. The report of the robbery at Dunedin was confirmed at the Christchurch Police Station this afternoon, but, beyond tho fact that the crime has bean committed, the Police Department would divulge nothing. It is believed that the raid was planned outside of Christchurch. Investigations are being made.