On 4 April, following a motion by the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office, the local District Court remanded two suspects in custody for three months. They are suspected of jointly and in concert breaking into ATMs and committing other crimes.
The first break-in took place on 1 December 2018 at one of the stores in Bolesławiec. Using a vehicle, the perpetrators rammed the store’s doors and entered its vestibule. An ATM stood nearby. However, they failed to steal it because of the reaction of store employees and the shopping carts there, which blocked access to the machine.
Another break-in occurred on 12 December in Nowogrodziec. More than half a million złotys were stolen. The perpetrators attached straps to a farm tractor and tied them to the ATM, then tore the machine from its base and took it away in another vehicle. More than half a million złotys were stolen.
The perpetrators made another attempt to break in on 11 March this year in Bolesławiec. A 39-year-old man drove up to an ATM in a farm tractor, attached tow straps to the ATM and the vehicle, and tried to tear the machine from its base.
The attempt failed when the straps used by the suspect broke. A pursuit was then launched after one of the perpetrators travelling in the tractor. The man was arrested and remanded in custody for three months from the date of his arrest.
Under the supervision of the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office, intensive activities were carried out to establish the identities of the two other perpetrators of the ATM break-ins. These efforts led to the arrest by officers of the Bolesławiec County Police Headquarters of Marcin G. and Krzysztof M.
Additionally, during Krzysztof M.’s arrest in Iwiny (Warta Bolesławiecka municipality), it was discovered that he had been producing significant quantities of methamphetamine—more than 100 grams—and possessed ammunition without the required permit (59 rounds).
The perpetrators were subsequently brought before the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office, where they were charged with breaking into ATMs and attempting to steal money from ATMs by breaking in. Thirty-year-old Krzysztof M. was additionally charged with producing significant quantities of psychotropic substances, possessing drugs, possessing a weapon without a permit, and damaging a vehicle during one of the break-ins.
The men did not admit to the crimes of which they were accused.
The Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office submitted successful motions to the local District Court for the suspects to be remanded in custody. G. faces up to 10 years in prison. M. could spend as many as 15 years behind bars.
Investigators:
The arrests and charges described are the result of an investigation conducted by the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office and the local County Police Headquarters into ATM break-ins.