German bank robbers blow up bank by mistake

German bank robbers have blown up a bank and damaged nearby cars and building in a comically inept attempt to make off with a cash dispenser.

The building housing the bank in the northern village of Malliss was largely destroyed by an overnight explosion, Germany's Welt Online reports.

Investigators suspect that the gang simply miscalculated the quantities of petrol or acetyline required to dislodge the ATM.

While nearby cars and building were damaged in the blast, the cash machine survived intact.

Channels

Retail banking Security

Keywords

Automated teller machines and network services

Comments: (4)

A Finextra member 26 May, 2010, 15:23

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Reading this I wonder if these dummy's didn't use enough gas to blow the machine lose or did they simply fill the building with explosive fumes before igniting the gas. In either event it would have been very loud so hardly a well thought out plan. I suppose police are looking for the badly singed perpetrators in a smoking hot vehicle, really dumb, hehe. Dan, Opt Mobile Banking.

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A Finextra member 26 May, 2010, 16:01

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Malliss Springs ! (German-speakers may get the play on words)

Or fans of The Jam - "A Town Called Malliss"

Or there's always that famous Michael Caine quote from "The Italian Job" -

"I only told you ...."

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A Finextra member 27 May, 2010, 03:58

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I'd be interested to know the manufacturer for the cash machines. I'm sure they can leverage this to their advantage: "Bomb-proof ATMs"

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Ketharaman Swaminathan - GTM360 Marketing Solutions - Pune 27 May, 2010, 14:04

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Hope the cash dispenser manufacturer doesn't get sued by the bank and car owners - after all, they caught the flak only because the cash dispenser proved to be "bomb-proof"!