For six years, the police were entangled in a convoluted investigation that always pushed them away from cracking the case instead of finishing it. Thankfully, a new report talks about an iPad that was recovered after five years from the depths of the River Thames that led to the arrest of three men involved in various crimes, including an attempted murder. Here, we take a look at how a tablet, which seemingly turned into a rusted and unusable piece of computer, actually turned out to be pivotal in solving this mystery.
The iPad was linked to one of the world’s biggest armed robberies that deprived the Bank of England millions
To understand how the discovery of a submerged iPad became the subject of paramount importance, we have to go back to 2006 when an individual named Paul Allen was convicted for taking part in one of the world’s biggest armed robberies. He, along with seven other men, took part in stealing approximately $68 million from a security depot used by the Bank of England, which was used to store older currency before it was destroyed and replaced with new notes.
Allen and the seven criminals could have escaped with lots more, but they did not possess a bigger truck to obtain a higher score. Thankfully for the authorities, Allen was caught and sentenced to 18 years in prison, after which he was released in 2016 after serving less than half of that time. 9to5Mac reports that three years after his release, Allen’s life was in grave danger when he survived a shooting at his home that left him paralyzed from the chest down.
Of course, the plot thickens because, in a completely unrelated robbery act, three criminals were arrested for a series of crimes, one being a museum heist. Their gig came to an end when they made the mistake of attempting to sell their valuable loot to a public auction, with three items belonging to the 14th Century Ming Dynasty that included a pomegranate vase, a doucai-style wine cup and a porcelain bowl, all carrying a combined insurance value of a whopping £2.8 million, or around $3.64 million.
The auction house realized that these antiques had been stolen and alerted the authorities, who then initiated a hunting operation for the three criminals. DNA evidence revealed that these criminals were involved in Allen’s shooting, along with a statement from one of them that revealed the location of the getaway car, which had stopped briefly at a location close to the River Thames. When the police searched the perimeter of this river, they stumbled upon an iPad.
Upon closer inspection, the forensics team cleaned up the slate and found a SIM card tray containing a Vodafone SIM. Retrieving the call date revealed evidence against three men; Louis Ahearne, Stewart Ahearne, and Daniel Kelly. The SIM card was also linked to a GPS tracker, which the criminals had attached to Allen’s car to triangulate his location. A month earlier, the same trio was involved in a heist at a museum. One can safely conclude that if it was not for the salvaged iPad, the police would likely be hunting ghosts, and eventually, the authorities would have to accept defeat. Instead, we have a thriller of a report to talk about, and if you want to check out additional information, you can visit BBC.
News Source: BBC
