crime

Fugitive eyed for robbery

Police think Abilio Gonzáles Peralta may have been involved in a bank robbery Wednesday.

The fugitive recently escaped from prison, and the robbery matched his method of operation.

Carlos Lemos/ LA PRENSA

at large:Police think they know who is behind this robbery.1029423

While officials can't be certain, they suspect that Abilio Gonzáles Peralta, who also goes by the nickname Pili, was the mastermind of Wednesday's robbery of Banco Nacional de Panamá.

In addition to being Panama's most notorious bank robber, Peralta is also something of an escape artist, having slipped out of prison a few weeks ago.

Authorities are convinced that his escape and the subsequent robbery are not unrelated, as the method of operation at Banco Nacional is similar to Peralta's earlier crimes.

At the time of the robbery, which took place at the bank's Vía España branch, there were two security guards, three cashiers, the general manager and a customer. Police plan on interviewing all the witnesses to try and determine who carried out the crime.

Police found a red dye on the inside of a car that they think the criminals used to flee the crime scene. Authorities said the dye is used by banks in bundles of money to thwart robbers.

Four men robbed the bank, and officials are hoping that security tapes will provide some additional details about their identities.