BIG SYDNEY ROBBERY

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1933, Page 5 (Supplement)

BIG SYDNEY ROBBERY

RECOVERY OF GOODS. NEARLY £2OOO WORTH. Sydney detectives early on a recent morning recovered nearly £2OOO worth of tobacco and silk, which was stolen from Rowan’s Bonded and Free Stores, on August 19. They had been conducting an intensive campaign against clever gangs which in recent months have carried out a number of tobacco robberies in such a way that detection was almost impossible. The tobacco and silk, which weighed more than' a ton, w® found stored in a garage at Waverley. Two men were arrested. The robbery from Rowan’s Bond’ was a particularly clever one. A man secreted himself in the store during working hours, and waited until all the employees had gone before sta&king up huge quantities' of cigarettes, cigars, tobacco and silk. Then he raised the shutter of the cart dock to admit a lorry, which was driven in by his confederates. The lory was loaded with the stolen goods. After- dark, when no one was in sight, the shutter was raised and the lorry was driven out. The detectives were determined to clear up the robbery, and after a week or two they came into possession of certain information and followed trails which frequently kept them at work all night. On September 2 the detectives decided to make a- raid. Early in the afternoon Inspector Quinn and Detec-tive-Sergeants Allmond and Dunnett, with other detectives, visited a house at Waverley. A man, who was .in the house was taken to the police station: Detective Dunnett hid himself in the man’s bedroom. Two hours later another man visited the house. He was immediately arrested by Detective-Ser-geant Dunnett, and was also taken to the station, where both men were questioned.

The detectives’ inquiries lasted until after midnight, when they rushed in a motor-car to a lock-up garage in another part of the Waverley district. On opening the door they saw large quantities of goods stacked in heaps around the walls. On inspection, it was found that the goods were cigarettes, cigars, tobacco and silk, which in ' the opinion of the police, had been stolen from Rowan’s Bond. A lorry was requisitioned and the goods were conveyed to the police station. It was found that with the exception of small quantities, the whole of the goods stolen from Rowan’s Bond were recovered. It was estimated that of the goods there was between £l4OO and £l5OO worth of tobacco and between £3OO and £5OO worth of silk.