ATM technicians arrested for stealing money

BEKASI, Indonesia — Two ATM technicians were arrested in Bekasi, Java for allegedly stealing Rp 12 million (US$859) from an ATM inside a store.

Jatiasih Police chief Comr. Ili Anas said the suspects had been identified as Edwin Tri Hendrawan and Ferdian Susanto.

“They allegedly abused their access to open the ATM [and take the money],” he said as quoted by tempo.co on Saturday.

Ili went on to say that the incident took place on Nov. 14, 2018 at 2:30 a.m. The alleged perpetrators arrived at the store in their employer’s car and got permission to enter the store from security officers by claiming to have been sent to repair an ATM.

“They managed to open the cash dispenser using a code they had saved on their phone,” Ili added.

They then allegedly took out and carried the money in their jacket pockets. Soon after, they closed and locked the machine, got into their car and left the building and divided the money.

Bank Mandiri, which owned the ATM, reported that it had lost Rp 12.2 million.

The police identified the thieves using footage from the ATM’s CCTV camera. Edwin and Ferdian were caught in two different places.

They have been charged under Article 363 of the Criminal Code on theft, which carries a maximum punishment of seven years in prison.