The Gang des postiches (french: link=no, Hairpiece Gang) was a team of bank robbers that operated in Paris between 1981 and 1986, robbing around thirty banks. They would enter the bank dressed in common clothing and wearing false

mustache A moustache (; en-US, mustache, ) is a strip of facial hair grown above the upper lip. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French, and is derived from the Italian ''mustaccio'' ...

beard A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. Throughout the course of history, societal at ...

s, and wigs (from which they got their name). After entering the bank, they would separate into two groups, the first responsible for taking hostages, while the second went about acquiring cash and emptying

safe deposit box A safe deposit box, also known as a safety deposit box, is an individually secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions. Safe deposit ...

es (which were not under surveillance during opening hours). It is estimated that the total value of their activities may have exceeded 30 million

euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...

Organisation

The gang was centered around individuals from Belleville, who have been friends and delinquents from a young age:Gang des postiches-Le dernier masque tombe
. ''Liberation'', Patricia Tourancheau, 16 January 2003 * Sidi Mohamed Badaoui, nicknamed ''Bada'' (who was killed before the group became active as "the gang", it has been suggested that after this event the gang abhorred violence) * Bruno Berliner, nicknamed ''Beau sourire (Beautiful Smile)'' * André Bellaïche, nicknamed ''Dédé'' * Patrick Geay, nicknamed ''Pougache'' * Robert Marguery, nicknamed ''Bichon'' * Jean-Claude Myszka It is known that the group consisted of a core group of five or six (maybe eight) members from eastern Paris, but there were other loose members as well. They convened to commit a series of hold-ups, even several on the same day, then separated for a while (Berliner, for example, lived in the countryside near

Carrouges Carrouges () is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France. The inhabitants are known as ''Carrougiens'' and ''Carrougiennes''.BRB BRB may refer to: * Bank of the Republic of Burundi or ''Banque de la République du Burundi'', the official name in French of the central bank of Burundi * Barbados, ISO country code BRB, country in the Caribbean Sea * Barreirinhas Airport, IAT ...

(Banditry Repression Brigade) and the BRI (Research and Intervention Brigade) to the branch of

Crédit Lyonnais The Crédit Lyonnais (, "Lyon Credit ompany) was a major French bank, created in 1863 and absorbed by former rival Crédit Agricole in 2003. Its head office was initially in Lyon but moved to Paris in 1882. In the early years of the 20th cent ...

on 39, rue du Docteur-Blanche, in the 16th arrondissement, this time it was effective. Police discreetly surrounded the bank, knowing that the gang was inside, to stop them when they came out. Unfortunately when they came out the situation devolved into chaos, owing to the rash behavior of the head of the BRB, Raymond Mertz, who started a shootout, in which Bruno Berliner and a police officer, Jean Vrindts, were killed. In addition, three more policemen were wounded. Marguery was arrested but some of the other robbers managed to escape. Patrick Geay was apprehended, but was released after another, unidentified, member of the gang took the policeman hostage (Geay then took another hostage). Geay and his companion took off in a police car with their hostages. The fiasco revealed serious shortcomings of the police headquarters at

36 quai des Orfèvres 36 may refer to: * 36 (number), the natural number following 35 and preceding 37 * One of these years of Gregorian or Julian calendars: ** 36 BC, 1st century BCE ** AD 36, 1st century ** 1936, 20th century ** 2036, 21st century Arts and entertai ...

, eventually leading to ''L'affaire Loiseau'' (itself leading to films (''

36 Quai des Orfèvres 36 may refer to: * 36 (number), the natural number following 35 and preceding 37 * One of these years of Gregorian or Julian calendars: ** 36 BC, 1st century BCE ** AD 36, 1st century ** 1936, 20th century ** 2036, 21st century Arts and entertai ...

'') and documentaries). See below. While policemen pointed the finger at the BRB director for the fiasco, he was cleared. This situation led to protest and demonstration at

in which it was demanded that Mertz be sacked. In response, the police authorities involved the IGS (in

anglophone Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the ''Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest language ...

countries similar to '' internal affairs'') to break up the protest. Later, Mertz (who had strong political support and connections) was even promoted to deputy director of the

Paris police The police prefecture (french: préfecture de police) is the unit of the French Ministry of the Interior that provides police, emergency services, and various administrative services to the population of the city of Paris and the surrounding t ...

. Dominique Loiseau, a BRI officer, was accused of being a

mole Mole (or Molé) may refer to: Animals * Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America * Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...

. Although he was tried and convicted, serious doubts remained, among some, about the facts. After almost seven years in prison, he was pardoned by

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

in 1993.

Aftermath

On 31 Januari 1986, Serge Hernout, nicknamed ''Nounours'', who was a suspected

getaway driver A crime scene getaway is the act of :wikt:flee, fleeing the location where one has broken the law. It is an act that the offender(s) may or may not have planned in detail, resulting in a variety of outcomes. A :crime scene is the "location of ...

for the gang, was arrested in his home at

Bagnolet Bagnolet () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, a small part of the commune o ...

. On 5 August 1986 Bellaïche and Geay were arrested in Italy. On 23 November 1986, Jean-Claude Myszka organised, together with François Besse (a notorious French jail breaker) the escape from prison of André Bellaïche and his cell mate Gian Luigi Esposito (with a stolen

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

helicopter). They returned to France in a stolen car. Jean-Claude Myszka, André Bellaïche, and Patrick Geay were arrested together with Gian Luigi Esposito in December 1986, in a villa in

Yerres Yerres () is a commune in the Essonne department, in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Inhabitants are called ''Yerrois'' in French. Geography Yerres lies in the North-Eastern p ...

after almost a year on the run. A large part of the last five robberies (consisting of cash, gold, jewels and precious stones) was recovered.

Fate of the members or affiliates

* Sidi Mohamed Badaoui, was killed on 28 October 1980. * Bruno Berliner, was killed in the 14 January 1986 robbery. * André Bellaïche, was released in 1997 and now runs three

second hand Used goods mean any item of personal property offered for sale not as new, including metals in any form except coins that are legal tender, but excluding books, magazines, and postage stamps. Risks Furniture, in particular bedding or upholstere ...

record stores. * Patrick Geay, is still incarcerated. He denies his affiliation with the gang. On 31 October 2006, he was sentenced to 17 years imprisonment by the

Essonne Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

. * Jean-Claude Myszka was released in 1990, was sentenced to prison again in 2001, before committing suicide in 2003. * Serge Hernout was acquitted, a heroin addict, he was found dead in his home on 8 April 1987.

The return of the ''Gang des postiches''

In 2004, the case of the ''Gang des postiches'' resurfaced when serial killer

Michel Fourniret Michel Paul Fourniret (4 April 1942 – 10 May 2021) was a French serial killer who confessed to killing 12 people in France and Belgium between 1987 and 2003. After he was arrested in June 2003 for the attempted kidnapping of a teenage girl in ...

admitted that he acquired his fortune from the ''Gang des postiches'', when he recovered some of the gold which had been hidden in cemeteries. Fourniret was a former cellmate of Jean-Pierre Hellegouarch (believed to be a treasurer for the gang) whose partner, Farida Hammiche, helped Fourniret recover the gold in 1988. She was subsequently murdered by Fourniret.

In popular culture

*'' Le Dernier Gang'' a movie by

Ariel Zeitoun Ariel Zeitoun (born 26 September 1949) is a French director, producer, and screenwriter. Zeitoun started as a producer in 1979 with '. Later, he wrote the script for and directed ''Souvenirs, souvenirs''. In 2013 Zeitoun directed the historic ...

starring

Vincent Elbaz Vincent Elbaz (born 3 February 1971) is a French actor. He has appeared in many French television shows and films. His first major role was in the 1994 film '' Le péril jeune''. Elbaz received the 1998 Jean Gabin Prize. Elbaz was born in Pari ...

Gilles Lellouche Gilles Lellouche (; born 5 July 1972) is a French actor. He started his career as a director. Lellouche has appeared in more than fifty films since 1995. He was nominated twice for a César Award; in 2006 for Most Promising Actor and in 2011 f ...

Sami Bouajila Sami Bouajila (born 26 May 1966) is a French actor who has won two César Awards. Bouajila has worked and acted in two Oscar nominated films ('' Days of Glory'' and '' Outside the Law''), both directed by director Rachid Bouchareb. Early life B ...

Clémence Poésy Clémence Guichard (born 30 October 1982), known professionally as Clémence Poésy (), is a French actress and fashion model. After starting on the stage as a child, Poésy studied drama and has been active in both film and television since 19 ...

Pascal Elbé Pascal Elbé (born 13 March 1967) is a French actor, director and screenwriter. Life and career Pascal Elbé was born in Colmar, Haut-Rhin Haut-Rhin (, ; Alsatian: ''Owerelsàss'' or '; german: Oberelsass, ) is a department in the Grand ...

. * The last raid inspired

Olivier Marchal Olivier Marchal (born 14 November 1958) is a French actor, director, screenwriter, and a former policeman. In 2005, he was nominated for three César Awards (best director, best film and best writing) for his film ''36 Quai des Orfèvres''. He al ...

for his film ''

''.

Organisation

Aftermath

Fate of the members or affiliates

The return of the ''Gang des postiches''

In popular culture

References

See also