While the focus in recent weeks is on snatch theft cases, particularly in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur, it is also common to read in the newspaper on various ATM theft happenning around the country.

There have been various cases in the country including 3 in Johor and 2 in Sarawak where the thieves carted away the entire ATM machine from the bank with one case where the robbers gave up due to the extremely heavy weight of the machines.

Yesterday, in Bukit Mertajam, a group of ATM thieves targetted the wrong machine - a cheque deposit machine. They tied a rope to the machine and pull it away using a lorry. And when the machine opened up, they went down to pick up the “cash”, only to realize they were just cheques. As a result, they left the machine on the road and drove away.

Police arrested 4 men believed to be involved in various robberies and snatch thefts in Setapak at a budget hotel in Jalan Pahang, yesterday. It is believed that they were involved in the robbery cum murder of KTAR student Lee Kean Yip in Wangsa Maju and assault of Pang Kar Wei in Taman Melati, both on 29 July.

A 5th suspect who escaped sought treatment at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital for a gunshot wound was arrested later.

The suspects were tested positive for ganja and syabu. They were ex-convicts who were involved in various robberies in the past while one of them was a detainee at Simpang Renggam.