People in France are gripped by the story of a thief who has achieved hero status after getting away with 11 million euros on Thursday without the use of violence.

Tony Musulin is the toast of the French internet because of the daring theft and his outsmarting of the police. The 39-year-old armoured-van driver left behind two colleague money collectors outside a bank in Lyon in central France.

He drove off with the cash, immediately disabling the van's GPS and telephone systems. The van was found abandoned a few hours later.

The heist is in new bank notes and the numbers are said to be unregistered. The French authorities are not ruling out that Mr Musulin has already escaped abroad.

photo: Tony Musulin (Skynews)