News

Bold thieves masquerade as service techs in mall ATM theft

September 24, 2003

EDMONTON, Alberta - A couple of bold bandits masquerading as ATM servicemen cracked open an ATM in Kingsway Mall, then made off with thousands of dollars in a daring daylight robbery, according to a report in the Edmonton Sun.

Edmonton police spokesman Wes Bellmore described the crime as "more audacious than we usually see."

He added, "This one, it's a bit unusual. It was carried out under the noses of 100 shoppers. This was unusual in its boldness."

The duo walked into the mall about 9 a.m. on Sept. 22 and headed to the ATM near the food court. One man, who appeared to be dressed in a uniform, stood watch as another man in plainclothes worked on the machine for about 20 minutes.

The pair then walked out with a bundle of cash, according to the Edmonton Sunreport. Armored car staff reported the theft after showing up and realizing the ATM had been broken into, said police.

A drill and other tools were left at the site.

Bellmore said the thieves apparently knew how to break into an ATM, and they also knew that two people usually take money out of the machine with one person standing watch.

"It's believed they had knowledge of the machine and the procedures. It certainly took some skill to try that."

Police were trying to determine whether any mall security cameras had captured the men on film.