Gang of four charged with cash machine theft

The men dragged the ATM from a supermarket in early morning raid

A gang of four have been charged with stealing a cash machine in an early morning raid.

The men, from Pakistan, dragged the ATM from a supermarket entrance in Dubai and hauled it onto a waiting vehicle.

Police were alerted to the theft on the morning of March 9 last year. Officers revealed only Dh2615 had been inside the cashpoint at the time.

“It’s very difficult to carry the machine, which first indicated that no less than four men took part in the theft,” a police lieutenant told Dubai Criminal Court.

The ATM, worth around Dh28,000 and belonging to Kiosk IT System Trading company, was stolen at around 4am.

The four defendants, aged between 22 and 28, cut a cable securing the machine to the site before carrying it off. They later forced it open using a hammer and a screwdriver.

This week, Sharjah police said they successfully caught the gang following an extensive investigation of similar crimes.

But in court, the gang denied charges of armed robbery and damaging property.

“The first defendant said they used a black GMC vehicle to move the machine after cutting the cable connecting it to the supermarket,” said a policeman.

“Each one of them already had a criminal record for carrying out similar thefts.”

The hearing was adjourned until February 24.