Dublin Tiger Kidnapping Sparks Appeal

An appeal for public assistance has come within hours of a Dublin Tiger kidnapping, which led to the abduction of a Dublin family.

According to Gardaí last night, the incident began at about 6.30am yesterday morning when a gang of at least three armed men forced their way into a house off Bath Avenue in Irishtown.

The family who occupies the house, including an employee of a security company, his 70-year-old mother and nine-year-old niece, were held hostage.

It is believed that sometime later the mother and the niece were bound and taken from the house in a vehicle described as a Silver Toyota Verso people carrier bearing the registration number 05KE6457.

The employee of the security company, operating under duress, then went to the Bank of Ireland in O'Connell Street at around 11.30am where a security van, described as a white Renault Kangoo Van with the registration number 98D29588, was making a delivery.

The employee obtained a quantity of cash from the delivery van and was directed to go to a location in Drumcondra in a white Renault van. The employee left the vehicle, which contained the quantity of cash at that location.

The alarm was raised and Gardaí became aware of the incident just before the mother and niece were released unharmed in Shankill at 12.30pm.

The employee of the security company went into Bray Garda Station at 2pm.

Gardaí have since described the abduction in the course of a robbery as a "callous crime".

Officers investigating the incident said this morning they would like to talk to anyone who was in the O'Connell Gardens area of Irishtown yesterday morning.

The investigation is being led by Superintendent Finbarr O'Brien in Donnybrook, assisted by members from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the Garda Technical Bureau.

Speaking at Irishtown Garda Station, Superintendent O’Brien appealed to the public for information regarding any sightings of two vehicles used during and in the days prior to, this incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room at Irishtown Garda Station on 01 6669600, or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.

(DW/GK)