Foreign Trio Reenact Bungled Phuket ATM Robbery

December 10, 2013

Two Colombians and a Mexican, arrested in Bangkok on Sunday, have reenacted the way they broke into an Phuket ATM last week

Phuket – December 10,2013; Infamously the men stole B200,000, leaving B1.4 million which apparently thought that they had incinerated while breaking into the ATM with a cutting torch.

The two Colombians, gang leader Arturo Amariles Marin, 57, and Guarin Suta, 45, aka Luis Fernando, opened the back of the ATM with a cutting torch, while the 50-year-old Mexican, Yesid Alexander, acted as driver and lookout.

The robbers had spent considerable time and money on preparation, acquiring some sophisticated safe-breaking equipment.

Police displayed 15 steel pipes and a copper pipe, a cylindrical magnet, a bellows, a black bag, safebreaking equipment that police say cannot be found in Thailand, drills, metal cutters, and equipment for establishing the combination of the lock, including a flexible optic scope for insertion through a small hole to see the inside of a safe.

Also seized were B45,000 in cash and documents showing the transfer of money abroad, four cellphones, a camera and the clothing used by the men while carrying out the robbery.

Police are now investigating whether the men also had connections with ATM skimmer gangs.

View the original story on The Phuket News