A massive manhunt is under way after two security guards were ambushed and robbed at gunpoint in Wellington early yesterday by four balaclava-clad criminals.
The holdup happened as rush-hour Wellingtonians walked by oblivious to the drama.
The haul reportedly beats "hands down" the previous largest security van holdup, worth over $600,000, in Paraparaumu last year.
In yesterday's robbery, the Chubb guards were tied up and bundled into an access space behind the National Bank Cashpoint machine in Willis St, before the offenders fled in the security van with the cash.
Checkpoints were set up in Hutt Valley and Kapiti-Mana, north of the city, and officers were also scouring Wellington parking buildings for the vehicle.
A woman sitting in a cafe, opposite the ATM machine, said the two guards, a man and a woman, rushed into the cafe and grabbed the phone. Police were at the scene minutes after taking the call at 7.48 am.
Some officers were armed because one of the robbers was carrying a pistol and two were wielding iron bars.
"They [the security guards] looked like they'd been through the wringer," the witness said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Stephen Vaughan said the guards were shaken by their ordeal but unhurt.
"They were ambushed, placed in headlocks, dragged out the back, tied up," he said.
"The pistol was pointed at them, so that overcame any resistance they were going to offer."
Police aren't saying how much money was taken but some ATM machines hold two canisters of about $80,000 each.
Detectives have remained silent about what else was in the missing van.
Police said the robbery had the hallmarks of a planned crime. It appeared the robbers laid in wait for the guards at the end of an internal alley.
Detective Senior Sergeant Vaughan said he was concerned the thieves might have been wearing clothing which allowed them to strip off their dark-coloured overalls and fit in comfortably with rush-hour pedestrians.
One was believed to have worn a light blue shirt underneath and all four might have had black vests over their overalls.
He said police had no early leads and had asked for the public's help in finding the Chubb van, a white Toyota Hiace, registration YS8514.
It hasn't been confirmed how many robbers were in the van when it drove off.
- NZPA
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