Ingenious burglars fail in efforts to crack ATM
IN a heist reminiscent of the movie The Italian Job‚ a group of robbers navigated hundreds of metres of subterranean sewerage tunnel and a storm drain before they exited through the floor of a shop in Ladysmith on Monday night.
Despite their precision‚ which saw the burrowers emerging within an arm’s length of an ATM‚ the men escaped with only a handful of groceries.
It is understood that after hours of wading through the tunnels‚ excavating underground and then breaking their way through the concrete floor‚ the men were unable to breach the cash machine.
A source with knowledge of the investigation‚ who spoke on condition of anonymity‚ said the robbers had moved through nearly 300m of sewer pipe and then four metres of soil.
“They came out at exactly in the right spot right in front of the ATM. It is amazing that they [did] it with such accuracy.
“Once they were in‚ they struggled to cut through the [ATM’s steel] outer layer,” he said.
Police spokesman Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that police were investigating the robbery.
“The perpetrators caused damage to the premises and stole groceries.
“Ladysmith police are investigating a case of business burglary‚” he said.