Battered Phuket ATM refuses to yield to robbers

[webfact]

Battered Phuket ATM refuses to yield to robbers
Eakkapop Thongtub


The bashed-up ATM and the hole in the wall where it used to be.

PHUKET: -- Police have potential leads on three thieves who apparently used a rope and a pickup truck to drag an ATM machine off the wall of a pharmacy in Baan Manik early this morning (January 16).

The robbers made a good job of smashing up the Siam Commercial Bank machine, but were unable to get at the money inside it.

Thalang police were called at 4am to the scene at the Manik Pharmacy, near the entrance to Permsap Village.

Lt Suporn Meangkhai and his men arrived to find the ATM had been pulled five metres from the wall to which it had been attached. The damage suggested that a vehicle had been used to wrench it from the wall.

An attempt had been made to break open the safe inside the machine, probably using an arc-welder.

No one was at work and all nearby shops were closed at the time of the attempted robbery, and a nearby CCTV camera was pointing in the wrong direction to catch the action.

Officers were sent to check other cameras in the area and to canvass witnesses. They found one witness who said, “I saw a bronze-colour truck drive away but did not catch the make of the truck or the license number.”

They later found a nearby camera with footage showing the bronze-coloured pickup, which they identified as a Mitsubishi Strada – though the license number could not be deciphered.

Later, however, a witness on a motorbike came forward to say that he had seen the truck leaving the scene in a hurry, and told police the license number was either 4772 or 4778. He could not say what the letters of the license plate were.

Police believe that the robbers waited until after 2am, when a nearby karaoke bar closed for the night, to wrestle with the machine.

“They left in a hurry after several attempt to get the safe door open,” said a police officer.

Police were later able to confirm that no money was missing from the machine, which was last loaded with B3.5 million on Wednesday (January 14).

An employee of the company that refills ATMs, after looking at receipts left at the scene, confirmed that the B2.06 million left in the ATM was the correct amount.

Thalang and Phuket Town Police are working together on the case. They believe that three men were involved, and that they may have robbed ATMs before.

It is not the first time at ATM outside Manik Pharmacy has been attacked. Two thieves attempted to rob an ATM there in June last year but also failed to get the cash out of it.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/battered-phuket-atm-refuses-to-yield-to-robbers-50596.php


-- Phuket News 2015-01-16

[Costas2008]

"Two thieves attempted to rob an ATM there in June last year but also failed to get the cash out of it."

It takes practice.....eventually they will get to the money................

[JOC]

Gives a whole new meaning to: bank withdrawal!!

[watcharacters]

I was told years ago that some USA based ATMs can hold up to 80,000. USD

How much can they hold in Thai baht here? I'd think the value would be much higher.

[Reigntax]

So now they are just bypassing the middleman and going straight to the ATM. We poor farangs must be getting harder to rob, scam and mug.

[Don Mega]

I was told years ago that some USA based ATMs can hold up to 80,000. USD

How much can they hold in Thai baht here? I'd think the value would be much higher.

If one bothered to read the article they may have noticed a figure of 3.5 million baht suggested.... whats that, about $110.000 USD ?

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

[LivinginKata]

<snip>

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

Hard to get it on the back of their motor bike.

Being more serious, they must have had a larger vehicle to drag it out of the wall ??

[stevenl]

I was told years ago that some USA based ATMs can hold up to 80,000. USD

How much can they hold in Thai baht here? I'd think the value would be much higher.

If one bothered to read the article they may have noticed a figure of 3.5 million baht suggested.... whats that, about $110.000 USD ?

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

Maybe because they forgot their fork lift?

[crazygreg44]

next time they will bring a steel ramp and a motor winch with a steel cable mounted in the truckbed. It takes some time to get smart, but for 3.5 million THB I would do a bit more of planning ahead instead of poking the nose cluelessly . .

[godden]

the hole in the wall gang

[Thomas Hannah]

Been done before,But cctv pointing in other direction.Witness comes forward,who knows who done it,And gives them a false number plate.Inside job.As normal ,on this site.You will hear no more.

[rapom]

<snip>

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

Hard to get it on the back of their motor bike.

Being more serious, they must have had a larger vehicle to drag it out of the wall ??

Well, the first sentence said they used a pick-up truck. Is that large enough?

[Vogele123]

Makes you wonder why they didn't stick it in the back of the pick up and take it somewhere quiet to work on it????

[circusman]

Gives a whole new meaning to: bank withdrawal!!

Did you think yourself clever with that remark JOC ? FAIL

[Daffy D]

Police believe that the robbers waited until after 2am, when a nearby karaoke bar closed for the night, to wrestle with the machine.

I thought those places stayed open all night

Sounds like the crackdown is starting to wok

[jpduggan]

''It is not the first time at ATM outside Manik Pharmacy has been attacked. Two thieves attempted to rob an ATM there in June last year but also failed to get the cash out of it ''

. And they still haven't put up a CCTV camera

[PETERTHEEATER]

?.....probably with an arc welder....

Did they plug that into the ATM power point? And then used it to weld the safe shut? Nice one Somkid!

[hansgruber]

Thailand rarely bolts them to the ground.

The ones in the malls could just be wheeled out on a trolley if you're game enough to try.

I was checking a machine if it had a skimmer attached to the card slot and the whole machine slid back without much effort.

[murphya33]

Been done before,But cctv pointing in other direction.Witness comes forward,who knows who done it,And gives them a false number plate.Inside job.As normal ,on this site.You will hear no more.

Do you have evidence to back up your theory? Sounds like hot air to me. By the way, its "who knows who "did" it . Your lack of knowledge of English grammar doesn't make you very credible.

[luckynero]

Maybe they didn't load it up the truck.. Because there's a Gps inside?

[tezzainthailand]

They should employ midget security men to sit inside the ATMs....just in case!

[crazygreg44]

Maybe they didn't load it up the truck.. Because there's a Gps inside?

then it takes a tin foil or a lead foil around it to surpress the signal . . . making plans, anyone ?

[Jaggg88]

I was told years ago that some USA based ATMs can hold up to 80,000. USD

How much can they hold in Thai baht here? I'd think the value would be much higher.

If one bothered to read the article they may have noticed a figure of 3.5 million baht suggested.... whats that, about $110.000 USD ?

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

In the UK the thieves steal a JCB digger and then dig the ATM out and straight into a truck - open later at leisure. We had two ATMs stolen last week in Manchester with this method.

[fester the benevolent]

They should employ midget security men to sit inside the ATMs....just in case!

There's not enough space because the midget bank-tellers insist on bringing their sleeping bags for the night shift.

[Tywais]

Makes you wonder why they didn't stick it in the back of the pick up and take it somewhere quiet to work on it????

A full sized ATM loaded could weigh as much as 1/2 ton.

[JetsetBkk]

I was told years ago that some USA based ATMs can hold up to 80,000. USD

How much can they hold in Thai baht here? I'd think the value would be much higher.

If one bothered to read the article they may have noticed a figure of 3.5 million baht suggested.... whats that, about $110.000 USD ?

Wonder why they did not pick it up and take it away rather than try and cut into the safe on site ?

In the UK the thieves steal a JCB digger and then dig the ATM out and straight into a truck - open later at leisure. We had two ATMs stolen last week in Manchester with this method.

QUIET! (There's a load of Thais now trying to find out what the h*ll a "JCB" is... )

[Sviss Geez]

''It is not the first time at ATM outside Manik Pharmacy has been attacked. Two thieves attempted to rob an ATM there in June last year but also failed to get the cash out of it ''

. And they still haven't put up a CCTV camera

Doesn't the one in the ATM count then?

[Sviss Geez]

Been done before,But cctv pointing in other direction.Witness comes forward,who knows who done it,And gives them a false number plate.Inside job.As normal ,on this site.You will hear no more.

Why would you expect to hear more as this site only lifts reports from news sources?

[CapeThai]

And for a moment there I almost thought I was in JoBurg, South Africa as this almost happen on a daily basis....

I wonder who could be responsable for this...... The Nigerian crowd maybe ?

[CapeThai]

the hole in the wall gang

More like Hole in their plan Gang