Israel PoliceA man from southern Israel is now facing charges of aggravated robbery after committing two bank robberies, using an avocado disguised as a grenade.
The 47-year-old man, from the village of Bedouin, reportedly stole NIS 30,000 (over £6,600) from two banks based in the city of Beersheba. All with the help of this much sneered at symbol of millennial breakfast decadence.
The man was reportedly able to steal the money by painting the avocado black and pretending it was a grenade. He told cashiers he would throw the ‘grenade’ if they didn’t hand over the cash quickly.
PixabayThe unusual crime happened in mid May, and began with the unnamed man entering a shopping mall based branch of the Postal Bank and slipping a misspelled note across the counter.
As reported by The Times of Israel, the note read, ‘Hand over the money in the drawer’. However, the Hebrew word for ‘drawer’ had been spelled incorrectly.
The cashier apparently appeared to hesitate upon receiving this written command, leading the man to give the following threat:
Put the money in the bag quickly or I’ll throw this grenade.
The grenade he was referring to was a round, black object he had clutched in his right hand. Although we now know this was an avocado, at the time it appeared as if he was brandishing an actual grenade.
PixabayThe man then proceeded to leave the branch with more than NIS 16,000 (just over £3,500) in stolen cash.
However, this wouldn’t be the last time he used this very same tactic to deceive cashiers. Just five days later he headed to another branch of the Postal Bank, this time at the Oren Center shopping area.
Once again, the man wielded the blackened avocado and threatened to blow up the bank if the money wasn’t handed over. This time he left the branch with NIS 12,000 (£2,600) in cash.
Police officers initially found it difficult to identify the man. Footage captured through overhead security footage showed how he had obscured his features using hats which covered his face, sunglasses, and even – in one instance – an eye patch.
Public Domain PicturesHowever, police officers were able to track mobile phone locations at the times of the robberies, following several leads before eventually finding the suspect in question.
It emerged the suspect had previously served a three-year prison sentence for robbery.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.