NEWS

Rhodians put paid to underarmed robbers

Two armed robbers with only one real gun between them were caught by members of the public on the island of Rhodes yesterday morning while trying to mount a getaway motorbike after a bloody bank heist. The two men, identified as Rhodes resident Dimitris Koutroumanos and Albanian national Marilan Lesi, both 32, burst into the National Bank of Greece branch at Kremasti, some 12km (7.5 miles) southwest of the island capital Rhodes town just after 8 a.m., brandishing a pistol each. They stole 25,955 euros, and shot branch manager Michalis Tholoenos in the shoulder when he tried to stop them. But in the meantime an elderly customer had managed to sneak out of the bank and shout for help. Passers-by caught the one robber as he tucked his gun into his belt while getting on the motorbike, while the second man was overpowered when the crowd realized his gun was a fake.

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