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Two security van guards had their arms and legs bound and were dumped in the back of their van in a fake armed robbery that netted them and three others just under $350,000.
But police investigations into the staged theft foiled what could have been the perfect inside job, and this week the bungled operation ended in prison terms for two of the men. The three others are in custody awaiting sentencing, and a sixth man will stand trial for his alleged involvement in the crime.
The plan was hatched in south Auckland bar Club FX by the nightclub's owner Felicio Khan, 30, his employee Mohammed Khan, 35, and casual employee DJ Rohiteshwar Maharaj, 27.
Maharaj was also a security van driver with Malesh Kumar and transported large amounts of New Zealand and foreign currency from one location to another, including ATM machines and banks.
According to the police summary of facts, the men conspired to stage a mock armed robbery of the van drivers, but the plan had an early hitch when Kumar refused to take part.
The 23-year-old Unitec student alleged in court that he was stabbed with a broken bottle and felt fearful for himself and the safety of his wife and four-year-old child, so eventually agreed to take part.
About 2pm last New Year's Eve, Maharaj drove an empty security van to the nightclub for his friends to familiarise themselves with its interior. Three days later, Maharaj, Felicio Khan and Mohammed Khan met to discuss further preparations.
At around 7am on January 4, Mohammed and Felicio Khan arrived at a carpark in the Glenfield mall. They drove from the motel to the mall in a van which had been stolen a month earlier from St Lukes mall.
The van was parked in a predetermined position in the carpark. Around 7.45am, Kumar and Maharaj drove the cash-laden security van to the Glenfield Mall parking adjacent to their friends' van.
Kumar then disappeared into the back of the security van and started removing cash.
Maharaj met Mohammed Khan, who moments later entered the van with Maharaj.
ATM canisters with loose cash were placed in various bags. Mohammed Khan then bound the hands and feet of both Maharaj and Kumar to help support the false robbery scenario.
Mohammed Khan and Felicio Khan then took the bundles of cash amounting to $349,424 to Birkenhead Mall where they dumped the stolen van and drove off in a waiting vehicle to a Newmarket motel to begin counting the money.
Kumar and Maharaj raised the alarm, telling police they had been involved in an armed robbery.
Following the theft, Felicio Khan went on a major shopping spree, including buying a 2004 Holden Club Sport for $43,800 in cash.
Police also allege a Subaru B4 Legacy was bought after the heist by another man, Dion Thompson, who was a regular at the nightclub. Thompson has denied his involvement and will stand trial in September.
Police investigating the armed robbery became aware of discrepancies in the men's stories, and when they interviewed Maharaj on March 7, he admitted the theft was planned and his role in it. He told police he took $450 from the van's floor before police arrived on the scene, adding that he did not receive any proceeds from the fake robbery, except a bar tab and an increased wage at the nightclub. Police then interviewed Kumar who admitted the heist was planned. He had been paid only $2440 for his part, he said.
On April 12, Felicio Khan returned from hiding in Fiji and admitted his guilt, saying he had taken $150,000 back to his nightclub for "safe keeping".
All the men pleaded guilty to their various charges.
Maharaj's charge of being party to the principal offence of theft and an additional charge of unlawful conversion of a motor vehicle saw him sentenced to two years imprisonment. Mohammed Khan, charged with being party to the principal offence, was sentenced to 20 months' jail.
Their co-accused Malesh Kumar, Felicio Khan and a fifth man, Mohammed Hasnane, have been remanded in custody for home detention consideration and probation reports.
