The partly demolished building of the armored car company Prosegur is seen after assailants blew it up, in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, Monday, April 24, 2017. A gang of over 50 armed bandits stole several million dollars from a vault in the company, in what local officials are dubbing the "robbery of the century". The culprits, who police said were from Brazil, killed one police officer during the Monday raid. (Roberto Zarza/Diario ABC Color via AP)
Republished April 27, 2017 - 3:31 PM
Original Publication Date April 27, 2017 - 2:55 PM
ASUNCION, Paraguay - The gang that blasted into an armoured company's vault this week got away with $11.72 million in cash — the biggest heist in Paraguay's history, prosecutors said on Thursday
About 50 attackers armed with assault rifles used explosives to open the vault of the Prosegur company early Monday in the border city of Ciudad del Este. The robbers also torched about 20 cars before they escaped to Brazil. One police officer was killed and four civilians were injured. Brazilian gangs are suspected of carrying out the attack.
Brazil's Federal Police had arrested about 15 men, but seven were released Thursday for lack of evidence. Police also seized assault rifles and recovered about $1.5 million after a gunfight that killed three men who were suspected in the theft.
Ciudad del Este sits in the "Triple Border" region, where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet and where contraband electronics, drugs and arms flow across porous borders.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017