A high-profile arrest in Tirana has once again raised questions not only about bank security, but also about how authorities are reconstructing the movement of stolen money. Police have detained Robert, alias Albert, Duka, suspected of two armed robberies at OTP Bank and Raiffeisen Bank branches, while the official version says most of the nearly €120,000 may have been lost in casinos.
Arrest after wiretaps and video footage
According to police, Robert alias Albert Duka was identified through a combination of phone interceptions, analysis of video footage, and checks on a rented vehicle. He was arrested last night by Tirana Criminal Police.
Authorities present the case as solved in its main line, but the investigation itself remains open to determine whether the suspect acted alone or had logistical support in at least one of the robberies.
The casino claim remains without a formal recorded statement
One of the most discussed elements of the case file is the claim that Duka spent the stolen money while gambling at several casinos in Tirana. But this version, according to the information available so far, has not been formalized in an officially recorded statement.
It is learned that he said this during communication with police officers and the case prosecutor, while the defense lawyer did not allow an official statement to be given. For this reason, police and prosecutors have requested information from four casinos in the capital to verify whether he was a registered client and whether there are documents or footage supporting this claim.
€6,000 in Vlora, only €2,200 at the apartment
Investigators say €6,000 from the allegedly stolen amount was given to two people in Vlora, €3,000 each. This sum was seized by police after searches carried out in that city.
The two people, according to their version, stated that Duka had given them the money to settle a debt. Meanwhile, during a search of his apartment in Tirana, only €2,200 was found and seized, leaving the main part of the amount that authorities say was taken in the two robberies still unaccounted for.
The wife’s testimony and the accomplice trail
Robert Duka’s wife, who works at a second-tier bank in Tirana, was also questioned. She said the €120,000 had been secured from the sale of an apartment in the “Air Albania” stadium area and denied knowledge of her husband’s involvement in the robberies. After her statement, she was released.
On the other hand, investigators suspect that Duka may not have acted alone. According to them, after the OTP Bank robbery on June 2, 2026, a second person may have driven him away in a vehicle. The second episode, on November 2, 2026 at Raiffeisen Bank, also shows similarities in the method used.
The same pattern, the same date
According to investigators, both robberies were carried out on the 2nd day of their respective months and followed a similar pattern. In the first case, the masked perpetrator entered OTP Bank, took money at gunpoint, and left on an electric scooter.
The same silhouette, according to authorities, was also seen in the Raiffeisen Bank robbery on November 2, 2026. There too, the suspect is believed to have used a weapon resembling a pistol, taken the money from the cash desk, and initially fled on the scooter before later placing it into a rented car.
Police say Duka had previously stayed in Greece, where he is suspected of having carried out 26 armed bank robberies. In the Tirana case, he is expected to appear before the Tirana Court for a security measure hearing, while the charge brought against him is “armed bank robbery,” an offense that carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in prison.
At this stage, an important part of the case file is based on suspicions, technical verifications, and statements not formalized in an official record. This makes it decisive what will be proven through documents, footage, and financial traces, not only what is claimed in preliminary communications with investigators.