Whether it’s by force or card skimming, ATMs sure are a popular target in Bali.
Three Peruvian men have been arrested after fleeing to Java for allegedly stealing hundreds of millions of rupiah from ATMs at convenience stores in Bali and other Indonesian cities.
The three suspects, from Lima, Peru, have been identified in reports as Robert Castro De La Cuba, 27, Jose William Salazar Ortiz, 30, and Frankho Pizarro Solano, 27.
“They deliberately came to Bali to steal,” Denpasar Police Chief Nyoman Artana said on Thursday, as quoted by Merdeka.
Cuba and Salazar were tracked down and arrested in central Jakarta, while Solano was arrested in Surabaya, reports said.
The group’s first hit was a BCA bank ATM on Jl. Tangkupan Perahu, Denpasar in which they took Rp 117 million from on Nov. 28, 2016, according to Artana.
From Bali’s Ubung Terminal, the three then caught a bus to Surabaya where they next targeted BCA and Mandiri ATMs, allegedly stealing Rp 387 million.
When stealing from an ATM, one man would stand watch outside, while the other two would disable CCTV cameras and break into the convenience store. After getting into the store, the suspects would pry open the ATM and vandalize the machine, pouring soda over it, Artana told reporters.
The three alleged perps are subject to charges carrying a max penalty of nine years, according to Merdeka.
