Cash caper: Thieves on the run after snatching 400,000 baht from Krung Thai Bank ATM

Thieves remain at large after stealing about 400,000 baht from a Krung Thai Bank ATM in front of Prachanukroh School in the southern province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.

The deputy manager of the Krung Thai Bank, Janjira Saelim, yesterday lodged a complaint at Tha Sala Police Station complaining that thieves had stolen money from the ATM in the early hours of the morning. Janjira added that the ATM had been replenished with 6.24 million baht a day prior to the crime.

Police officers investigated the ATM and collected the thieves’ fingerprints left on the machine. Officers reported that the criminals opened the ATM’s money storage from the back of the machine. They used a gas-cutting torch to cut the back of the machine and then burned the inner parts of the machine to remove the cash.

Janjira revealed that there was about 4.59 million baht left in the cash machine, adding that bank clients withdrew about 1.25 million in cash, so the thieves managed to steal about 397,000 baht from the ATM. Furthermore, the damages inflicted upon the ATM’s structure incurred a hefty cost of 250,000 baht.

Investigating officers added that the ATM was only 100 metres away from a police booth but the culprits committed the crime late at night when no officers were on duty.

Police reviewed security cameras nearby the area and discovered two to four suspicious men travelling together in a pickup truck. However, the footage did not provide conclusive information regarding the vehicle’s colour or its registration plate.

A similar theft case was reported last year in the central province of Ang Thong. Two Thai men who covered their faces with motorcycle helmets tried to steal money from an ATM owned by the Siam Commercial Bank (SCB). They spent over 30 minutes cutting the ATM with a gas-cutting torch but their attempt was unsuccessful.

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