Mobile banking: Thai police arrest Dutch retiree towing stolen ATM behind his truck
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Investigators said the 60-year-old Dutch citizen had used a trolley and the pickup truck to dislodge the ATM from its frame at the bank branch.
PHOTO: THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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KHON KAEN, Thailand – Thai police arrested a retired Dutch citizen early on the morning of Sept 22 while he was allegedly attempting to pull away an ATM with his truck in a failed bid to steal the cash inside.
The suspect, identified as 60-year-old Sijtse Koovlar, was apprehended at 2.05am on a road in Tambon Ban Thum, Khon Kaen’s Mueang district.
The police had rushed to the scene after being alerted that someone was trying to remove an ATM from the Siam Commercial Bank branch in Ban Thum community.
When officers arrived, they found Koovlar driving a pickup truck without licence plates against the traffic flow.
The vehicle was dragging the main body of an ATM behind it.
Investigators said Koovlar had used a trolley and the pickup truck to dislodge the ATM from its frame at the bank branch before towing it towards his home.
The police said Koovlar, a Dutch expatriate living in Khon Kaen, admitted that he had tried to steal cash from the ATM due to financial difficulties.
He told officers he had transferred 10 million baht (S$403,500) to his Thai wife for a business investment, but when she claimed the money was insufficient, the couple quarrelled.
Koovlar said he then attempted the theft out of frustration.
Police added that the suspect tested negative for drug use. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
