Thieves spend six months digging 100ft tunnel for £6000

A determined gang of robbers tunnelled 100ft to snatch a cashpoint – four years after their first attempt was foiled.

Officers believe the thieves responsible could have spent up to SIX months digging the passageway.

Using shovels, a wheelbarrow and scaffolding poles, the hole-in-the-wall
gang dug underground into the building which houses the ATM.

Once underneath, the offenders used machinery to cut through more than 15inches of concrete to steal money from the cashpoint.

But this time the bungling burglars miscalculated their haul. Because of
extra demand for cash withdrawals over the New Year break, the machine
only held £6,000 instead of £20,000.

Police, who were called to the Blockbuster store in Levenshulme,
Manchester, on January 4, then found the tunnel which stretched back to
nearby wasteland, along with tools, electric lighting, bags of soil and a
ventilation system.

One store worker said: “The theft has been a massive talking point. We
all remember the attempt to steal the machine four years ago, but it
seems the people responsible for that raid simply refused to give up.

"They must have wanted it really badly to go to all this effort again.
Heaven knows what their reaction was like when they realised there was
only £6,000 inside.”

Greater Manchester Police confirmed: “Officers were called to the
Blockbusters on January 4. They discovered a cash machine had been
stolen containing £6,000. Officers also discovered a tunnel.”

The gang’s first tunnel was uncovered on August 23, 2007 by builders working at the Fallowfield retail park.

Detective Sergeant Ian Shore from Longsight CID said: “In all my years
of service, I have never seen anything quite as elaborate as this.

“These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I
doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that
time, without telling others about their scheme. They must also have
spent a lot of time in the area over the past few months, which people
may have noticed.



Source