Armed robbers hit cash truck in daring heist on highway in southern It

Viral video footage showed an assault that looked like it was straight out of an action movie. 

Armed robbers targeted a cash-in-transit van in a dramatic heist that took place along the main highway connecting Brindisi and Lecce in southern Italy on Monday.

The assault, which occurred in the early morning hours near the town of Tuturano, targeting an armoured vehicle transporting a significant amount of cash.

The criminal group, composed of around 10 individuals wearing black and white jumpsuits and masks, executed a meticulously planned operation that brought traffic to a standstill.

To isolate the target, the gang used multiple stolen vehicles to block both directions of the highway.

They set these cars on fire, creating a “wall of flames” that prevented both civilian traffic and police patrols from approaching the scene.

The robbers deployed military-grade explosives to blow open the rear doors and bypass the vehicle’s reinforced safe in a massive explosion.

Witnesses reported a large cloud of black smoke from the back of the van, and video footage of the incident was shared widely on social media.

During the heist, the assailants – armed with Kalashnikov rifles and shotguns – fired multiple rounds, both to intimidate the guards and to keep onlookers at a distance.

Momenti di paura questa mattina sulla superstrada 613 Brindisi-Lecce, all’altezza dello svincolo di Tuturano, dove un commando armato ha assaltato un furgone portavalori https://t.co/0hxZik8Vp0 pic.twitter.com/2aVV9GBTHK

— Sky tg24 (@SkyTG24) February 9, 2026

Despite the heavy gunfire and the force of the explosion, no fatalities were reported among the security personnel or bystanders.

After seizing the cash (initial estimates suggest a significant haul, though the exact figure is still being verified by the security company), the gang fled in high-powered cars toward the territory of Squinzano in the province of Lecce.

To secure their escape, they scattered metal spikes across the asphalt to shred the tyres of any pursuing vehicles.

Police immediately launched a major manhunt, including helicopter surveillance, but the group appears to have vanished into the rural backroads of the Salento area.

The attack follows a string of similar high-profile robberies on Italian highways in recent months, including a €2 million heist in Calabria inside a tunnel on 1 December and a €400,000 robbery on the A14 in Abruzzo near Ortona on 5 January.

Investigators believe these crimes are the work of specialised paramilitary-style gangs, likely originating from the Foggia or Puglia regions, which have a long history of “assalto al portavalori” (armoured car assaults).

The SS613 remained closed for several hours on Monday to allow forensic teams to gather evidence and for firefighters to clear the charred remains of the blockade vehicles.

Travellers in the Puglia region are advised to expect heightened police presence and potential checkpoints in the coming days.