First drone bank robbery
The circumstances of one robbery involving a drone that occurred earlier this year at a branch of the Caisse d’Epargne bank in Reims, France, have come to light. A DJI Mini drone helped thieves steal 150,000 euros from an ATM in the French city of Reims without the use of explosives.
The criminals managed to do this by launching the DJI Mini drone into the technical room through the ventilation duct, where later, using the same drone, they managed to press the button responsible for opening the front door from the inside. According to police, this is the first time a drone has been used in a bank robbery.
Bank employees were surprised to find that the contents of the safe with banknotes were emptied, while the ATM and the safe door received no visible damage. It turned out that a total of 150,000 euros had disappeared.
When viewing surveillance cameras, it turned out that the robbers used a small-sized drone (such as DJI Mavic Mini) to press the button that opens the door to the technical room next to the ATM. To do this, they opened the ventilation grill, which allowed the drone to fly inside. To determine exactly where the button was, the robbers first used a mirror on a telescopic stick. The robbery lasted less than 10 minutes.
Police have arrested four suspects so far. Further investigation revealed that one of the thieves had previously worked as a mechanic for an ATM company. He knew the code for the safe in the technical room. Since this code did not change often, the contents of the safe could be retrieved without damage.