Brazilian robbers tunnelled nearly 600 metres in a daring attempt to rob a bank in Sao Paulo, where they hoped to nab millions of dollars.
After a three-month operation, police arrested 16 suspects, just before the alleged gang was able to use its impressively equipped tunnel to enter the safe at a Banco do Brasil branch in the country’s financial capital.
According to the authorities, the gang were after one billion reais, or about $317 million.
“It would have been the world’s biggest heist,” said police chief Fabio Pinheiro Lopes, speaking on Globo television.
Police said work on the tunnel began four months ago, starting from a house several blocks from the bank. It had sophisticated supports, fans and light.