Two men arrested in £50m raid inquiry

Depot manager describes his family's 'unimaginable' ordeal as new e-fit ofarmed kidnapper is released

Cole Moreton
Sunday 26 February 2006 01:00 GMT

Police investigating the theft of up to £50m from a money depot in Kent arrested two men yesterday, and issued a new e-fit of one of the robbers. The arrests came as Colin Dixon, the manager of the depot who was kidnapped at gunpoint along with his wife and child, described their harrowing ordeal.

"The terror of what happened and the horror of what might have happened is with us in every waking moment," said a statement read on his behalf. The Dixons are being given armed protection in a safe house, where they may have to stay for some time.

Kent Police's serious and organised crime unit has 100 officers working on the enquiry, which led to the arrests of men aged 55 and 33 in the Maidstone area yesterday on suspicion of conspiracy to commit robbery. No further details were given but the Assistant Chief Constable of Kent, Adrian Leppard, told a news conference he was "really pleased with the way this is developing".

A man and women arrested earlier in the week had been released, it was confirmed. Yesterday's e-fit - the second so far - was of a man who helped abduct Mrs Dixon and her son. Aged between 45 and 49, he had a sickly complexion. His thick brown hair and bushy moustache may have been a disguise.

Mr Dixon said his wife Lynn and son Craig had been placed in "unimaginable danger" by the gang. "For the criminals to use me is bad enough," he said, "but to kidnap my wife and child and put guns to their heads and threaten them with death, is something so frightening that no words can convey them today. I mean, how would you have felt? All that is precious to you - your family - placed in unimaginable danger through no fault of their own, entirely because of someone else's greed."

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