Police foil robbery attempt at Dar ATM

BY CORRESPONDENT DAVID.

Unidentified persons invaded a National Microfinance Bank (NMB) Automated Teller Machine at Tabata Kimanga in Dar es Salaam in an abortive attempt to commit robbery using welding machines.

Reports say that the police are holding two security guards for questioning following the incident.

Speaking to The Guardian over the phone yesterday, Ilala Regional Police Commander Marietha Minangi said the incident occurred on Sunday around midnight.

The RPC said the robbers did not manage to steal the money and when the police arrived at the scene, they found the two guards on duty unconscious, suspecting that they ate something which was mixed with drugs.

She mentioned the names of the guards as Abdallah Ally from MOKU Security Group and Bariki Gabriel an employee of Ultimate Security Company.

She said by yesterday morning the health conditions of the guards had improved and were both still in the hands of the police for investigation on the incident.

Minangi said the police also found a piece of metal, a gas cylinder, pliers and a Toyota Corolla vehicle parked 100 metres from the scene.

Recently a number of customers have been complaining about loss of their money through ATMs technically known as card skimming which has been a nuisance to bankers.

In February this year, police in Mwanza arrested three people in connection with theft of 500m/- from various banks using fake ATM cards.

Acting Mwanza Regional Police Commander Christopher Fuime said one of the suspects was allegedly stealing money from an ATM at NMB’s PPF Plaza branch.

He named the suspects as Salim Nassoro, a resident of Kinondoni in Dar es Salaam, Maniki Kimani and Leonard Masunga both from Nyegezi in Mwanza.

Fuime said the suspects were found with 194 NMB and Diamond Trust Bank ATM cards, 36 KCB ATM cards and other 18 ATM cards with no logos, and equipment allegedly used to manufacture fake cards.

Among other things the suspects were also found with three laptops, a printer, a camera and three cans of paints which they used to spray on banks’ CCTV camera to conceal their identity.

Fuime said some of the equipment seized during the arrest would be taken to the cyber and financial crime unit in Dar es Salaam for further analysis.

 SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN (08/04/2013): http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=53284