ON the night of Monday, March 27, the residents of Valiant Street went to bed hoping for a peaceful night’s sleep. But, in the early hours of Tuesday, they were awoken by a terrible burning smell, although they saw and heard nothing.
Between 02:00 and 04:00, however, the ATM was being cut into pieces. Supa-Dupa Supermarket, one of the biggest shops in Eden Park, has been closed for business since 2016, with nothing operational at the site except the ATM machine. And thieves took advantage of the unguarded area.
Residents near the shop said they were woken by the smell of something burning, but could see nothing burning outside or any bright lights.
Captain Vusi Mhlophe said the police received a call from the bank security and 10111 to check on the ATM. “A van was dispatched to the ATM but the officers saw nothing and left to check on all other ATM machines,” said Captain Mhlophe.
“A concerned resident reported three weeks ago that he saw guys at an ATM with a big blanket, who rushed off when they saw him. I am sure these thieves also used the big wet blanket to conceal the light from the cutting torch, which is why our officers could not see a thing.”
The bank removed the damaged and burnt-out ATM on the same day. According to Captain Mhlophe, it is still not known how much cash was stolen by the thieves.
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