Man arrested over cold case robbery
A man has been arrested some 21 years after one of Victoria's most baffling and daring hold-ups.
Detectives yesterday charged 54-year-old helicopter pilot Vladimir Babaeff over the half million dollar robbery at a Melbourne city Myer in 1993.
On August 23, 1993, Myer's city store was stormed at gunpoint by three men - one dressed as a security guard. The sophisticated crew of armed robbers walked away with a bounty in cash.
One year later, on June 23, 1994 - there as another, even more lucrative robbery. A group of four men this time, dressed as road workers ambushed an Armaguard van near the Monash Freeway entrance - stealing more than $4 million.
Mr Babaeff's lawyer, John Anile, is due to face trial next year over laundering money believed to have been stolen in the road gang robbery.
He has not been charged over that crime, but police say a forensic examination of evidence found at the scene will determine whether he is charged in the future.
The arrest is a major breakthrough for detectives from Operation Tidelands, which is investigating links between several major cold case robberies and three murders.
