Man Arrested Following Elaborate Bomb Hoax Incident

At about 7am this morning Police from Counties Manukau CIB executed a search warrant on a property in Tuakau in relation to a bank robbery and bomb hoax incident at BNZ on Ronwood Ave, Manukau on 24 January.

A 46 year old man was arrested and charged with aggravated robbery and cultivating cannabis.

A number of nominations for this man came from publicity generated through the distribution of CCTV footage of the man in the bank and in a taxi fleeing the scene to Otara, including a nomination all the way from Australia.

"We'd like to thank the media and the public for distributing the footage widely, ensuring a positive identification of this offender," says Detective Senior Sergeant Ross Ellwood. "Following the incident our District Command Centre, intelligence unit and CIB worked together to quickly establish some leads on the suspect, but it was with the assistance of the public that we were able to ensure he was identified and apprehended."

Following the incident, the man was tracked by CCTV getting into another taxi from Otara and headed to Tuakau, where he lives.

The NZDF bomb squad was required at the scene on 24 January, along with Police, fire service and ambulance. The bank and surrounding businesses were evacuated and Ronwood Ave closed to traffic, causing significant disruption in the area. The bomb was established to be an elaborate hoax.

ENDS

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