Search continues for Plovdiv’s ‘banitsa bandit’ after theft of 1.5M leva
Bulgarian police are continuing the hunt for Georgi Enev, the armoured car driver who allegedly stole 1.5 million leva after sending his fellow security guard to buy banitsa for him.
In spite of earlier reports, indications are that Enev (33) may still be in the country,Plovdiv district prosecutor Roumen Popov said on June 25 2012.
The incident happened in Bulgaria’s second city on June 22 when Enev – in what prosecutors allege was a well-planned move, possibly with the aid of an accomplice – deviated the security van from its route, asking his colleague to buy banitsa (pastry) for him.
When the colleague returned, Enev and the van – and the 1.5 million leva (about 750 000 euro), in various currencies – were gone. The van was later recovered. Investigators believed that Enev used his personal car to make his escape.
Police blockaded routes around Plovdiv and an alert was sent to border police, but Enev continues to evade his pursuers.
Bulgarian-language media reports said that Enev was in debt to the tune of 40 000 leva.
Enev, reportedly an avid fan of bodybuilding and a former member of Bulgaria’s military who served on two missions abroad, has no previous criminal record.
The van that was robbed was owned by security company Group4Securicor. In April 2012, another of the company’s vans was robbed near Lovetch, in a heist that netted the robbers a reported two million leva.
Police have questioned more than 20 people in the investigation so far, and asked anyone with information to telephone emergency number 112 or speak to the nearest Interior Ministry office.
(Photo:Bart Groenhuizen/sxc.hu)
