Have you ever asked why some well-coordinated robberies never end up to be unraveled even with the most sophisticated intelligence of all time? While there are many heists that have been accomplished in many years, a few stand out to be the most intelligent to have been discovered. Here is a list of the top ten heists ever to have been performed:
1. The Central Bank of Iraq heist of 2003
This, according to many observers, has been the largest bank heist ever to have been performed in the history of Iraq and is believed to have been performed by Saddam Hussein in which $1 billion is reported to have been stolen from Iraq Central bank in 2003. It is reported that Saddam Hussein’s son, Qusay, stole the money though he was killed by the US troops. The US troops recovered $650 million in his Hussein’s house while $350 million remains recovered and a mystery in the history of Iraq.
2. The Harry Winston Heist of 2008
One of the most complex heists, the Harry Winston heist took place in 2008 when four men dressed as women, are reported to have gained access into the upmarket jewelry store and took off with jewelry worth $108 million. Sources said that these men forced all the staff into one corner, packed the jewelry in their briefcases and took off and efforts to arrest the accomplices have never yielded any results.
3. The Gardner Museum Art Heist of 1990
This heist is considered one of the top-notch heists to have occurred in which only two men posing and dressed in police uniforms entered the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum on 18th March 1990. After convincing the security guards at the gate, they gained entry before the guards learnt they were not real police. They stole 12 selected artwork, expensive sculptures and important artefacts valued at $500 million. Since this incident, none of these thieves has ever been arrested and neither has the artworks been found.
4. The Knightsbridge Security Deposit Heist of 1987
This intelligent heist took place in Knightsbridge Deposit Centre on 12th July, 1987. It is believed that Valerio Viccei along with other people approached the Center and asked for the deposit locker and went straight to the vault where they threatened the manager with their guns. They broke into the vault and took approximately $60 million pounds, an equivalent of $174 million. The police were alerted an hour after the robbers had left. The fingerprint reports pointed at Viccei and was later arrested and imprisoned for 22 years.
5. The Antwerp Diamond Heist of 2003
Surveys show that approximately 80 percent of the world’s virgin diamonds pass the city of Antwerp, Belgium before reaching the market. Although Antwerp has had a fair share of heists in the past, a particular heist that took place between 15th and 16th February, 2002, has been dubbed as a heist to be remembered for many years to come. It is estimated that this heist cost the Center approximately $100 million that was stolen after the thieves gained access into 123 boxes of the total 160 jewelry safe deposits.
It is believed that Leonardo Notarbartolo aged 30 years at the time, led a gang of thieves posing as Italian diamond merchants earned the confidence and trust of the management. They also used fake video tapes to bypass the security checks and gain unlimited access to the safes and vaults. They stole an estimated $200 million worth of diamond. The lead mastermind was later arrested and $100 million recovered while another $100 million has never been recovered.
6. The Great Train Heist of 1963
This heist took place at the Bridego Railway Bridge in Buckinghamshire, England on 8th August, 1963 in which 2.3 million pounds were stolen from a post office train. Fifteen thieves under the leadership of Bruce Reynolds used a fake signal to stop the train and threw the driver off the train using an iron rod. They stole 120 mailbags carrying an estimated 2.3 million pounds an equivalent of today’s 40 million pounds.
7. Banco Central Heist
It is one of the trickiest and largest bank heists in the history of banks. This heist occurred on 16th August, 2005 by a gang of men who rented a property close to the bank. It is believed that the tunnel took three months of effort to be completed after which the gang gained access to the vaulted and stole 5 contains carrying an estimated $70 million. Although five of the men were arrested on 28th September the same year, only $7 million was recovered but the remaining $63 million remains unrecovered until to date.
8. D.B Cooper Heist
It remains the largest air piracy that remains unresolved in the history of America. The heist took place on November 1971 when an unknown man hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft and asked for a ransom of $20,000. After receiving the money, the man jumped off the aircraft with a parachute, no search has ever revealed the heister, and no money has ever been recovered. The authorities believe that the heister may have not survived the fate.
9. Kent Securities Depot Heist
In this heist, the Securities Cash Management Ltd, was robbed of $110 million after its manager along with his family was abducted in separate incidents by uniformed police officers. The manager was led to the firm, a case that saw the firm lose millions of money. Four of the robbers have since been apprehended and $40 million recovered.
10. Heist at the Brinks Mat
This is where a group of six unknown men entered the Brinks Mat Warehouse and chose to steal 10 tons of gold bullion estimated to be 26 million instead of $3 million cash. Investigations revealed that the gang gained access after being assisted by a security guard. Although the lead gang man was arrested, the gold bullion has never been recovered. These are the ten most intelligent heists in the history of the world.
