Four Charged in $48-Million London Theft : Safe-Deposit Center Holdup Called Largest Ever in U.S., Britain

Four men were charged today with stealing at least $48 million in cash, jewels and silver from a safe-deposit box center last month in what officials now say was the largest heist in British or American history.

The July 12 holdup at Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Center is also believed to be the largest peacetime robbery in history. Five additional suspects are being held in the heist.

Authorities earlier reported that about $32 million was taken but said during a court hearing today for the first four suspects that closer inspection has pushed the total to $48 million.

That surpassed the British record of $41.6 million in gold bullion taken from a Brink’s Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport in 1983, as well as any robbery in U.S. history.

One official said the total may go even higher.

‘Could Be $64 Million’

“I have information that the real figure could be up to $64 million, but to say $48 million would be fair,” Detective Inspector Richard Leech said. “It’s the country’s biggest robbery.”

The four accused--two Israelis, an Italian and an Englishman arrested earlier this week--appeared in court handcuffed to detectives.

The raid was carried out by two well-dressed, middle-aged “businessmen” who gained entry on the pretext that they wanted to rent a strongbox.

Once inside they pulled guns from their briefcases, held guards at bay and smashed open 146 strongboxes.

Charged with robbery were Valerio Viccei, 32, an Italian national; Israel Pinkas, 46, an Israeli, and David Poole, 47, of England. Eliahu Ephrati, 42, also an Israeli, was charged with handling stolen goods. All four were ordered held without bail.

‘Enormous Amount’ Recovered

Scotland Yard has detained a total of nine suspects--eight men, four of them Italians, and a woman--and recovered an “enormous amount” of jewelry, cash and silver from the heist at the strongroom opposite Harrods store in the exclusive Knightsbridge area. Officials said it was too early to estimate the value of all the recovered items.

Scotland Yard said the suspects were arrested in a series of coordinated raids in London earlier this week. The identities of the other five suspects were not disclosed, but detectives said they did not rule out a Mafia connection, because of the four Italian suspects.

Assistant Commissioner Brian Worth said investigators “are slightly worried” that some depositors still have not reported their losses and appealed to them to come forward.

“Some people are abroad,” he said. “I would have expected them to see us more quickly than they have.”

British newspapers speculated that one reason might be that some of the burgled safe-deposit boxes may have belonged to other criminals who used them to cache the proceeds of their own illegal activities.