KOTA KINABALU: A 27-year-old man who attempted to break open a bank’s Automated Teller Machine (ATM) with a paper clip was caught red-handed by police following a tip-off at a bank along Jalan Perbandaran in Tawau.
Tawau district acting police chief Supt Nor Azizulkifli Mansor said Saturday (June 8) that the suspect was caught by policemen attempting to break into the ATM machine at about 8.20am after he was observed acting suspiciously inside the bank.
He said the suspect had managed to force open one of the covers of the ATM machine but could not open the inner door of the safe that kept the cash in the machine when police arrived at the scene.
“The bank’s alarm system did not go off and there was no security guard on duty at the time,” Supt Azizulkifli said.
He said the suspect had used a piece of wood to block off the entrance to the lobby for the ATM machines before trying to use a paper clip to try to open the covers of the machine.
“He picked up the paper clip from the garbage bin. After he failed to open it, he forced it open with his hands,” he said, adding that the suspect chased away people trying to enter the bank.
Supt Azizulkifli said the man tested positive for drugs and was known in the area as he had been seen loitering in the area over the last few months. He does not have a criminal record
