Police say they have a list of suspects they will be targeting after a man robbed a South Auckland bank claiming he had a bomb in an elaborate hoax.
Police want to identify this man coming into the bank. Photo: NZ POLICE
The robber got only a small amount of cash from the Bank of New Zealand on the corner of Great South Road and Ronwood Avenue in Manukau, but the incident sparked a major response from emergency services.
The man wearing a wig walked up to a teller at 10.35am on Friday and demanded cash. He was given a small sum, but then said a package he was leaving behind contained a bomb that he would detonate remotely.
Police, the Fire Service, ambulances and the Defence Force bomb squad raced to the scene and nearby businesses were evacuated and cordons put up.
Police say the bomb threat was an elaborate hoax and the incident was recorded by security cameras.
Twenty customers and 18 staff were in the bank at the time. No one was hurt.
The BNZ says any robbery is a crime against people, not just the bank. Head of enterprise security Owen Loeffellechner says the worker the robber got the money from was completely calm and professional and followed procedures.
However, police say some of the other staff were left traumatised.
The building was evacuated during the scare. Photo: RNZ
