Citizen Protection Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis revealed that the Hellenic Police had been “monitoring for quite some time” the gang responsible for the bank robbery that took place Monday morning in Tithorea.

Speaking to ERT on Tuesday morning, he said: “They had committed other robberies as well, one major and several smaller ones. The police organized themselves, monitored them, and acted.”

When asked whether there was information linking the eight suspects to other criminal activities, Chrysochoidis replied only: “They may be connected to something else as well, but that will be determined by judges and prosecutors.”

“This group was highly capable and active, but in the end they fell into the trap set by the service and were arrested,” the minister concluded regarding the Tithorea robbery case.

The eight suspects, aged 24 to 33, were already known to authorities

The eight suspects — six men and two women — arrested for the armed bank robbery in Tithorea, which yielded a large amount of cash, have been held at the Athens Police Headquarters (GADA) since Monday night.

Police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou said Tuesday morning that “the first five were arrested shortly after the robbery while carrying heavy weaponry. They had four hand grenades, firearms with bullets already in the chamber, pistols, and submachine guns.”

According to the police spokesperson, the suspects are between 24 and 33 years old “and have previously occupied the authorities with various offenses.” She added that “they had no connection to the area and chose the bank because there was no nearby police station.”

She also said that investigators “are searching for additional individuals, while house searches are being carried out today.”

The arrest operation

Immediately after the armed robbery at the bank in Tithorea, local police forces were reinforced by units from Athens, specifically the Burglary Division. Heavily armed officers began combing the roads after locating the robbers’ stolen silver vehicle. Although police pursued them, the criminals attempted to escape at high speed along rural roads.

The Organized Crime Directorate (DAOE) units were determined not to let them escape and eventually trapped the vehicle in a dead-end road. There, the robbers exited the vehicle carrying Kalashnikov rifles and aimed them at police officers.

However, once they realized they had no way out, they decided to surrender. Officers handcuffed them and, under conditions of extreme secrecy, transferred them to GADA using elevators reserved for senior security officials rather than the building’s main entrance.

After the arrest of the first five suspects, investigations continued in Athens, where three more people were arrested.

Beyond the Tithorea robbery, authorities believe the same gang was also responsible for the 2025 robbery in Katochi, Mesolongi, where employees and customers were held hostage.

DNA samples and fingerprints from the suspects will be analyzed as a priority to determine in which other crimes they may have been involved.

Police statement

“During the afternoon hours today (yesterday Monday), eight individuals (six men and two women) were brought to the headquarters of the Subdirectorate for the Investigation and Solving of Crimes Against Life and Property of the Organized Crime Directorate and are being examined for their involvement in a robbery that took place during the morning hours of 11/05/2026 at a bank branch in an area of Fthiotida, as well as in other robberies. Heavy weaponry has been located during the investigation so far. Further updates will follow.”