Samsung Staff Held Hostage During £3.6m Brazil Factory Heist

Samsung employees at a Brazil factory were held hostage by armed robbers as more than 40,000 products worth £3.6 million were packed into waiting trucks.

The heist happened late at night at a Samsung factory near Sao Paulo, from which thieves swiped a massive haul of Galaxy S smartphones, tablets and laptops before loading the haul into seven lorries.

Police had estimated £21m worth of stock may have been stolen, but the South Korean technology giant dismissed the claim and revised it down.

The company confirmed 50 staff had been held hostage during the raid, adding it was cooperating with police enquiries, Reuters reported.

Organised raid

Seven armed assailants carjacked one of the factory's vehicles as it made it's way back towards the factory.

The suspects then took eight Samsung employees to a remote region before releasing them.

They then made their way to the factory with two workers still on board the vehicle, before disarming security guards and gathering remaining staff.

The attackers then allowed 13 other culprits, driving the getaway trucks, into the factory and proceeded to load the vehicles with the expensive loot.

No suspects have yet been identified.