Robbers Net Four Million Baht From Atm

[george]

Audacious robbers net four million baht from ATM

PHRAE: -– Robbers have stolen more than four million baht from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in the northen province of Phrae.

The thieves used the access code to open the ATM and cut the iron bars inside with a blow torch.

The Krung Thai bank's ATM in front of the Phrae city hall was robbed over the weekend after it was filled with five million baht on Friday.

The bank did not discover the theft until today because the computer had not registered that the money was missing.

The bank manager said the robbers must be have been adept at using electronic equipment .

The bank's electronic machine was opened by using the confidential password as there was no trace of forced entry, although six iron bars inside were cut by blow torch.

Police investigating the crime will now question bank officers in the hope that it will help them to track down the robbers.

--TNA 2004-09-05

[george]

Update:

Insiders suspected in Phrae ATM robbery

PHRAE: -- More than Bt4 million has been stolen from a Krung Thai Bank ATM located in the Phrae provincial hall, and police suspect an inside job.

Kongsak Dejrod, the manager of the bank branch responsible for the ATM, reported the robbery late yesterday morning after Bt4,070,600 in Bt1,000, Bt500 and Bt100 denominations were found to be missing.

Police believe there were at least two robbers, and they appeared to know the codes to access both the door to the ATM’s room and a door on the side of the machine itself, police said.

Lt-Colonel Nattachai Thepsunthorn, acting superintendent of Muang Phrae police station, said he suspected it was an inside job by someone who knew the codes. He said all of the bank’s staff would be questioned.

Burn marks from a welding torch were found on the door to the room, but police believe them to be a decoy to mislead investigators.

Six bars from a metal grille blocking access to the ATM inside the room were removed with a welding torch, but the ATM itself was opened without force.

Kongsak said that a computer linked to the ATM showed the balance remained unchanged despite the missing money. He said it appeared the culprits had adjusted the ATM to cause it to show a false reading.

--The Nation 2004-09-05

[marquess]

Good luck to them!

[Khutan]

I would say there will be some quastions asked here.

It is normal practice when you "commission" an ATM to reset the dafault codes from the manufacturer. Its in the instructions when you are loading the machine for the first time to change the codes.......

Police believe there were at least two robbers, and they appeared to know the codes to access both the door to the ATM’s room and a door on the side of the machine itself, police said.

[NedKelly]

I smell a rat !!

[Thetyim]

Amazing. I live in Phrae and the ATM just up the road at the Siam Commercial was left sitting outside on the top of the stairs for a couple of weeks during redecorating. Begging to be lifted away on a truck.