Thread: Chiang Mai Police hunt for robbers who stole Bt2 million from ATM

Hunt is on for robbers who broke open an ATM machine of a Siam Commercial Bank branch in Chiang Mai province and made off with over Bt2 million on Wednesday.


Chomthong Police Station was alerted to the robbery on February 24 at an ATM machine in front of Siam Commercial Bank located on Chiang Mai-Hot Road in Khuang Pao subdistrict.

The branch had been closed since July 2020 but it had kept the ATM operational. Police said the suspects could have broken into the branch, probably using a blow torch, and prised open the back of the ATM machine.

The bank reported that about Bt2.1 million cash was missing. It had previously filled the ATM with over Bt6 million on February 23.

Police suspect the involvement of 2-3 people in carrying out the robbery. Witnesses said that they had seen a black sedan circling the area on Wednesday night, but they could not remember the licence plate as it was dark.


Chiang Mai Police hunt for robbers who stole Bt2 million from ATM

ATM filled with >6m on Tuesday Feb 23, down to 2.1m next day. I didn't realise those things were so popular that they need to be topped up every couple/few of days, while the logistics of doing so must create new potential for the criminal element.

I suspect we'll be seeing an increase in similar and even bolder attacks as Thais are further squeezed by covid and utterly useless leaders. 6m is a lot of money to be left lying around in unattended public areas; cams are all well and good but they don't prevent crime, just help identify events, there must be ways to knobble alarms and otherwise delay police response times, while security of physical access to these magic boxes is probably an ongoing task; and then there's the various hard/software attacks to address.

One surprising hit on ATM security, probably referring to the US, has experts counterintuitively predicting a general reduction of ATMs leading to their virtual disappearance within a couple of decades.

Originally Posted by jabir

ATM filled with >6m on Tuesday Feb 23, down to 2.1m next day. I didn't realise those things were so popular that they need to be topped up every couple/few of days, while the logistics of doing so must create new potential for the criminal element.

I have heard there is also 'new potential for the criminal element' with these new fangled 'credit cards', whatever they are.

Where will it all end, one wonders.

ATMs in remote locations are also at greater risk of having skimmers fitted.

Avoid them like the plague.