A DARING BURGLARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3833, 30 August 1927, Page 38

A DARING BURGLARY.

STRONGROOM AND SAFE OPENED.

AUCKLAND, August 27,

An audacious gang of burglars carried out a big robbery at Radley and Co.’s premises in the municipal markets last night, opening the strongroom and safe and stealing- several hundred pounds while an engineer was on duty on the same flood upstairs. The robbery was discovered at 7.30 this morning bv Mr Harkins, an employee of Glover and Co., when he came down to commence his duties. Noticing that the front door of Glover and Co.’s premises was open, Mr Harkins thought that Mr Glover had got down early. However, on entering the premises, he found that no one was there, and on going to the office he found two deed boxes lying on the floor. They had been rifled, and a number of papers and documents was scattered about. A large number of pennies was also left. It was also discovered that the wire netting partition separating Radley’s from Glover’s had been cut through. An investigation of Radley’s premises revealed that the strongroom door was wide open. The safe inside was also open, but everything was left quite tidy.

Mr Radley told a reporter that apparently once they had entered the strongroom and got the safe open the burglars had broken through into Mr Glover’s store, where, they rifled two cash or deed boxes. These contained a number of cheques, notes, and much silver. Some of the cheques and also coppers were left. “My young lady cashier was relieved to find that the burglars had left her 30s which she had tucked away in a small box.’’ Air Radley added. The engineer who looks after the refrigerating plant is on duty every night until 7 o’clock in the morning. He works on tho same floor as the office where the robbery was carried out, but fully 100 ft. away. The noise of the machinery would probably account for his not having heard any sound made by the intruders while they were a t work. All night long the electric tights in Radley’s are left switched on, so it is a mystery how the burgjars carried out their crime without being observed.

How the burglars gained an entrance to the building is another mysterious feature which is baffling the detectives. No marks were made on either the strongroom door or the safe door. Neither door was opened by gelignite or other explosive, so it is assumed that the criminals carried out their “job” with the aid of skeleton or other keys. Probablv they entered bv Glover s main entrance -with a key. Evidently they left the premises by Glover's door, which was left wide open.