Robbers Steal FCFA 700M from Cash Van Heading to Bertoua

Armed robbers have carted away FCFA 700 million after attacking a Transvaal cash van this Friday morning in one of the biggest money heists in Cameroon, state newspaper Cameroon Tribune has reported.

The attack occurred at Nkolafamba, Mefou-et-Afamba Division, in the Centre Region, as the vehicle transported cash for a Yaoundé-based bank to Bertoua.

The Centre Region Gendarmerie Legion, which is running an investigation into the robbery, says only the driver and a security guard were on board the van when it was robbed.

They have arrested the two as part of an ongoing investigation to track down the robbers.

Attacks on cash vans are uncommon in Cameroon, although there is a frequency of highway robberies, especially on the Douala-Yaounde and Yaounde-Bafoussam highways.

Highway thieves frequently prey on travellers, seizing their money and valuable belongings.

Travellers were on high alert in 2023 due to a series of dangerous robberies on the Douala-Yaounde highway.

The robbers usually hid in the bush and threw stones and other projectiles at approaching vehicles—most passenger and private cars—and grounded them before seizing money from victims.

This mostly happened at night. However, the Transvaal van robbery at Nkolafamba has left observers shocked at how the attackers managed to take control of the armoured cash transporter in broad daylight and with a security officer on board.