Na página wiki para Inside Man :
The robbers detonate smoke bombs throughout the bank and release the hostages, resulting in a horde of identically dressed people exiting through the smoke in mass confusion. The police detain and interrogate everyone. However, the police are unable to distinguish the robbers from among the hostages. The police search fails to turn up Russell, but reveals the hostage execution was faked and the robbers' weapons turn out to be plastic toy replicas. As nothing appears to have been stolen, Frazier's superior orders him to bury the case, commenting "What do you expect me to say?".
Então, de fato, a polícia não salvou os próprios reféns - os ladrões os libertaram como parte de seu esquema elaborado. Se você se lembrar, o objetivo do plano era esconder o líder da gangue (Clive Owen) dentro do prédio.