With a modus operandi straight-out of a “Carry On” comedy, one luckless bank robber went before magistrates in Portalegre today while everyone in the court tried to keep a straight face.
The story began with a desperate young man buying a kitchen knife and pair of gloves from the Chinese shop next to his own branch of the town’s BPI bank.
Suitably equipped with the gloves already on (“this is what first alerted agents of criminal investigation”, a police source told journalists), the 30-year-old then walked into his branch, asked for “a large amount of money”, and showed the newly-purchased knife to the bank manager.
“As the bank did not have such a quantity of money, he ran away,” the source continued.
Still wearing gloves, the man was “intercepted” as he tried to leave the bank by the same policemen who had wondered at his odd choice of attire on such a hot day as he went in.
