ATM theft reported at Marianao bank

Cuban independent press media reported the theft of twoATMs installed in a bank in the habanero municipality of Marianao.

A note published this Wednesday byCubaNet, reported the unusual event, supposedly that occurred recently in the surroundings of Plaza de Marianao, specifically on Avenida 51 between streets 124 and 128.

The report indicates that two ATMs were looted, and is supported by the testimony of neighbors who were surprised to see that, where the ATMs used to be, only some holes were visible in the wall.

Apparently, the day before the robbery, agents from the state-owned company Trasval had filled the ATMs with cash. During the night, alleged thieves forced the door that gives access to the interior of theMetropolitan Bank and looted their ATMs.

According to the information published by the aforementioned media, the thieves would have stolen the money from the ATMs, but they would also have dismantled “all the front equipment of the ATMs.”

It is striking that the alleged robbery was committed without being detected in a high-traffic place, even at night. According toCubaNet, authorities detained and investigated several Trasval workers, as it is suspected that the perpetrators had precise knowledge about the company's ATMs and security protocols.

“Transfer of Securities (Transval) is the entity in charge of transferring monetary assets and other values to and from banks throughout the country. For this, it has a modern fleet of armored and escort cars, as well as well-trained personnel authorized to carry high-caliber weapons on public roads,” reports the website of theTO MENTION on Wikipedia.

In November 2018, the aforementioned media reportedthe looting of the ATMs located on Carlos III Avenue, corner of Márquez González, in the Centro Habana municipality.

According toCubaNet, "the criminal police and canine technicians, together with investigators from the Security and Protection Services S.A. (SEPSA), investigated the scene of the incident, without offering information about the amount stolen."

Some residents of the place where the events occurred reported that the perpetrators of the robbery broke the door of the metal container that protected the four ATMs.

Two years earlier, the same media reporteda wave of robberies that was taking place in the vicinity of an ATM located in the 5th and 42nd Shopping Center (Playa municipality, Havana), where more than 20 complaints had already accumulated.

The Territorial Investigation Unit of the police in this town indicated that the 'modus operandi' of the thieves consisted of stealing cash taken from bank cards that clients left forgotten in the ATM. According toCubaNet, the authorities suspected that these were premeditated crimes.