Robbers blow up ATM, flee with more than $100,000 in Malaysia

SHAH ALAM — Three masked robbers took just five minutes to blow open an automated teller machine (ATM) at an Ambank branch in Setia Alam, Selangor. They escaped with RM349,000 (S$106,000) in cash.

Shah Alam police officer Mohd Iqbal Ibrahim said he was alerted to the incident at 6.48am on Thursday (Feb 23), reported New Straits Times.

"Our probe identified three suspects who were seen entering the premises. They arrived in a white car suspected to be a Mitsubishi ASX," he said.

"The surveillance recordings were blurry and unclear, as it had been sprayed with black paint.

"We are on the hunt for the suspects," he was quoted as saying in New Straits Times.

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He added that two ATMs, valued at around RM60,000, were damaged but only one was blasted open and broken into. They were likely blown up using gas pressure, according to preliminary investigations.

In February 2022, two robbers made off with RM260,000 in cash after blowing up an ATM at a convenience store in Meru, Selangor.

Police said the robbers blew open the machine using a type of gas via a pipe from their car, which was parked outside the store, reported The Star.

In August 2019, another similar theft was reported in Tanjong Malim, Perak.

Robbers blew up an ATM machine using explosive substances and fled with RM300,000, according to the Malay Mail.

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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.