Thieves have stolen a total of €1.7 million from 13 automated teller machines (ATMs), Police Corps President Tibor Gaspar said on Tuesday. Three people have been charged so far, but the total number of members of the so-called cashpoint mafia remains unclear. Police claim, without mentioning the timeframe or location(s), which the gang was in the process of its 14th heist last Thursday overnight – but it went wrong.
“It's clear that they used the copies of original keys to the cashpoints. They knew the safe codes as well as the alarm codes that protect the safes in which the cashpoint money is placed,” said Gaspar, pointing to a so-called 'inside job' – which could mean one of the perpetrators or someone aided them in the robberies. He acknowledged the work of police officers from the Prešov region who, during a routine inspection, checked on the passengers of a car that had just been used for the latest heist. “The perpetrators were clad in black clothing that is normally used by private security services (SBS). Their clothes didn't carry a logo of any such security service, though,” said Gaspar, adding that this aroused suspicion of the officers, alluding that something wasn't quite right with the people in the vehicle. “They checked as to why the men had unmarked clothing, and they ended up inspecting the vehicle in which they came across boxes of cash," said Gaspar, adding that the boxes contained some €200,000.He noted that the men made use of a car plate number that rotates automatically. "Some criminals like to use them ... it's an import from Poland," he said.
George Christopher
