Cash believed to have been stolen during the £22 million Northern Bank raid has been passed at an ice rink near Belfast, it emerged today.
Two £20 notes with serial numbers matching those issued after the city centre heist have been handed over to the PSNI, Castlereagh Borough Council revealed.
The money was given to staff as families poured into the Dundonald International Ice Bowl yesterday, according to a spokeswoman.
"It turned up between 10.00 a.m. and 3.00 p.m. and due to staff vigilance it was noted quite quickly," she said. "On checking it, our senior cashier raised the alarm."
Detectives involved in a mammoth investigation for the gang behind the UK's biggest-ever bank robberies will be scrutinising the cash for clues.
Police hunting the thieves who held the families of two bank staff hostage during last week's operation have carried out searches at business premises across west Belfast. Nothing was recovered that could lead to a breakthrough.
Sinn Féin fury at the focus of the investigation intensified after officers trawled through homes and properties in republican districts of the city. Even though the IRA has issued a denial that it was involved in the robbery, business premises and community projects on the Stewartstown and Springfield Road were targeted.