Munster’s Ian Keatley was among the victims of a gang of Dublin-based thieves who are targeting bank customers.
The gang’s modus operandi is to send ‘spotters’ into bank branches to watch for customers withdrawing large amounts of cash.
Once they identify potential candidates, the thieves then follow their victims until they get an opportunity to steal the cash.
According to an exclusive in today’s Irish Sun, out-half Keatley was among those who fell victim to the gangs.
Keatley and a friend visited a bank, where one of them withdrew cash.
They were followed from the bank, and when they left the cash in a parked car, the vehicle was broken into and the cash taken.
“These people are serious criminals and have been at this crime for a very long time,” a source told the newspaper.
“The rugby player and his friend had just left their car for a matter of seconds when the thieves broke into it.”
A specialist unit has been established to track down the criminals involved, and AIB have also launched an investigation into the thefts.