AN OLYMPIC team have been robbed of nearly £50,000 among other costly items from an unbelievable alleged flat tyre scam.
The Indonesian Badminton Team’s manager Armand Darmadji says his bag containing the eye-watering amount was swiped from his passenger seat on Monday.
The money was the team’s allowance that would have seen them through the Paris Olympic Games, it’s reported.
But now the obscene amount of cash, along with credit cards and passports has gone – presumably leaving the team devastated.
Indonesian media reports say that criminals targeted Darmadji with a flat tyre scam.
Someone reportedly approached the manager in the car and said it had a flat tyre.
Darmadji then got out to have a look before his bag got snatched from the passengers seat.
He is said to have filed a complaint with the Paris police along with the Indonesian embassy, says reports.
The Indonesian badminton team is scheduled to return to Indonesia today.
But this is not the first occasion of a car robbery during the Games.
Brazil football legend Zico fell victim to a robbery in Paris after thieves snatched his briefcase with £420,000 worth of valuable items on July 25.
The ex-Flamengo star left his hotel in a taxi carrying with him a Rolex watch, a diamond necklace and bank notes inside the precious case.
It is understood one person approached the taxi driver to distract him, while a second snatched the briefcase from the back of the vehicle.
French officials have since launched a probe to locate the criminals, Le Parisien reports.
France’s Brigade for the Repression of Banditry is said to be leading the investigation.
Zico is currently in Paris as a member of Brazil‘s Olympic delegation.
Another Olympic champion Logan Martin was a victim of an alleged smash and grab robbery in Belgium before he looked to defend his BMX gold medal at the Games.
Martin revealed thieves had targeted his team’s van and shared a video to Instagram revealing the aftermath of the attack.
It showed that the passenger seat window had been smashed in order to get into the vehicle, with shattered glass all over the floor.
He revealed how his wallet and backpack were missing, while the team physiotherapists’ massage table had also been lifted.
The 30-year-old said it was lucky his bikes were also not in there.
He said it was a “crazy start to the trip”, before he added it was “unfortunate when people feel the need to do things like this”.
Fortunately, the Australian and his team were able to locate their belongings thanks to bag tag tracking devices.
They eventually found their stuff strewn across the floor at a nearby park, to which he said: “Thank god for bag tags.”
In a case of gallows humour, a team member also remarked how the thieves had “ate your choccies”.
