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Trio arrested in botched Ajman ATM robbery

Three Asian men who allegedly tried to rob several ATMs on Friday, using a gas explosion technique, have been arrested by the Ajman Police.

The trio had stormed one of the local banks in Ajman City at around 3.30am, blasting the ATM safes open with gas canisters and other tools, but their attempts failed, Lt-Col Abdullah Saif Al Matroushi, Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), said.

The police were informed of the attempted robbery at 7.30am, about four hours after the incident took place, he added.

“The delay in notifying the police was a result of the bank’s alarm system not being activated,” he said.

The police forensics team, along with crime experts, visited the scene, took samples from the smoke-damaged machines and launched an investigation into the botched robbery.

The first fugitive identified was a driver in his early twenties. He was apprehended, along with the numberless getaway vehicle used in the crime. The suspects manipulated the number plate to try and avoid detection.

After his fingerprints were found to match those taken from the scene, the suspect told officers the names of his two accomplices. They have all been referred to the Public Prosecution.

Lt-Col Al Matroushi said the incident was the first of its kind in the emirate and officials were launching a bank safety campaign as a result of the crime.

He said the technique of using gas explosion to open the ATMs was a dangerous precedent.

“We are urging all local banks to boost their bank safety and those without an alarm system linked to the operations room to connect it immediately,” he said.

He said they were distributing brochures to all banks with literature highlighting the importance of safety, noting that they will be engaging them in several workshops this year, to educate them on the evolving techniques of crimes targeting banks.

Bank clients will also be targeted by the campaign and will receive SMS warnings after withdrawing large amounts of cash, urging them to be careful when doing so.

afkarali@khaleejtimes.com