The Biggest Heist of 1972: The Amazing Story of the New York Hotel Robbery

"Discover the thrilling story behind the biggest heist of 1972, the New York Hotel Robbery. Uncover the details of the daring plan, the masterminds involved, and how they pulled off one of the most infamous robberies in history."

Introduction

The year was 1972, a luxury hotel in New York City, and a robbery that surprised everyone. This robbery was not only the biggest of its time, but it was also recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. In this, an amount of 28 million dollars was stolen without any gunfire, bloodshed or violence. There were eight thieves who carried out this daring and vicious robbery, who achieved this amazing feat after months of preparation and planning. Let's know the full story of this amazing robbery.

Theft plan and team

This robbery took place in a major hotel in New York. Bobby, the mastermind of this robbery, makes a plan with seven other thieves. All the members of the team were experts in some field or the other - someone was an expert in breaking the locker, someone in unlocking the password. Their plan was to choose a hotel with tight security so that no one could guess their intentions.

Identification of the hotel and its guests

The team reviewed news reports of New Year parties and other events in various newspapers, which led them to a prominent hotel where big names were to stay. On January 1, they booked a room inside the hotel in a stolen car. Next, they began to stalk the hotel inside and outside - assessing the level of security, the number of guards and where they were located. They found out that the hotel had a total of 400 locker boxes, and they would target the most valuable 100 lockers.

Day of the robbery: July 2, 1972

On the morning of July 2, the team members arrived at the hotel in an expensive car. They told the guard standing at the door that they had a booking in the hotel in their name. After confirmation from the reception, the guard let them in. As soon as they reached inside, they held the security guard hostage at gunpoint. How the hostages were handled Some guests and staff were present in the hotel lobby at that time. The team held all of them hostage and tied them with handcuffs. To make the robbery successful, they had brought 32 handcuffs with them. Everyone was asked to cooperate, and warned that if anyone tried to misbehave, he would be shot. Robbery process The real work of the robbery started when the experts of the team proceeded to break the lockers. They had two and a half hours - from 3:50 am to 7:00 am, when the new staff of the hotel started coming. Meanwhile, calls could also come at the reception, which the team had already prepared to handle. One member was trained to take any calls so that he could talk like the hotel staff.

Difficulties and Solutions

During the heist, an elderly guest called the reception and complained about the lift not working. The team showed presence of mind and decided to bring him downstairs. Later, the elderly man suffered chest pain and needed a doctor. The hotel guest list revealed that a doctor was also staying there. He was called and the elderly man was treated, and then he was also taken hostage.

Post-heist situation

The team broke into 100 lockers within the time limit and stole valuables worth $28 million. After the heist, they left the hotel safely. When the new hotel staff arrived in the morning, they found out about the heist and immediately informed the police.

Police response

The police immediately started an investigation. The hotel hostages were questioned and fingerprints were collected. Sketches were made based on the thieves' appearance, but the thieves had changed their appearance, making it difficult to identify them.

Arrest and punishment of the mastermind

Five days after the robbery, the police received information from an informer and arrested Bobby. Another thief was also caught. The stolen goods were also recovered from them. Both confessed to the crime. The court sentenced them to four years each, but they remained in jail for only 19 months.

Story after the robbery

After this robbery, not much information was available about the rest of the thieves. The story of this robbery is mentioned in a book, which revealed that some members of the team were killed during a fight among themselves, while some enjoyed the stolen money abroad.

Conclusion

The 1972 New York Hotel Robbery is considered one of the biggest and most successful robberies in US history. The theft was successful because of the planning, preparation, and smart execution of the theft by the thieves. This incident raised questions on the parameters of security and showed how even the best security can be breached with smartness and preparation.

The story of this theft teaches us how hard work, planning, and teamwork are important for any big scheme. Even today, this theft remains a mystery and a matter of surprise.