A theft at a currency exchange in Puebla has made national headlines thanks to the criminals’ method, reminiscent of formulaic heist movies. 

The crime took place Sunday night in the Santa Cruz Buenavista neighborhood of Puebla city. A group of thieves drilled a hole to enter the facility, bypassed the security systems and escaped with an estimated 1 million pesos (US $57,616). 

It wasn’t until the next morning that employees discovered the theft and notified security authorities after finding a hole that reached the bathroom area.

Sunday’s theft was the second experienced by the same currency exchange in less than a month, a coincidence — or not — that has roused the suspicions of investigators.

It has also prompted social media users to compare it to the heist in the Netflix TV show “La Casa de Papel,” which recounts the real-life events of a robbery of the Spanish mint house. 

How did the robbery happen?

According to initial reports, the criminals acted at night, wearing clothing that made identification difficult. 

They first entered a physiotherapy clinic next to the currency exchange, whose wall connects to the adjacent premises.

From there, they drilled through the wall that led to the exchange’s restrooms, allowing them to enter undetected.

Once inside, the perpetrators removed a door and used it to block the view of the interior security cameras, which allowed them to move through the area where the cash was stored and steal the loot without triggering the main alarms.

Officials from the Puebla State Attorney General’s Office are working to obtain physical evidence, analyze the route the criminals used, and review available video surveillance cameras from both the currency exchange and nearby properties.

Authorities have not yet released the number of criminals involved in the robbery, who still remain at large. 

With reports from Eje Central and NMás