LEVENSHULME, England, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Authorities say a determined gang of thieves spent six months digging a 100-foot tunnel into a Levenshulme, England, Blockbuster store to steal an ATM.
Police, who were called to the Blockbuster store on Jan. 4, said they found tools, electric lighting, bags of soil and a ventilation system in the tunnel, the Mirror reported Saturday.
After digging the 100-foot tunnel, the thieves then had to cut through more than 15 inches of concrete to get to the ATM.
However, the thieves didn't make off with as much cash as they were hoping, police said. Because of the recent holidays, the machine held only $9,181, instead of its usual $30,606.
Related
Police said the recent theft is believed to have been committed by the same gang of thieves responsible for a similar attempt to tunnel under the same building in 2007.
The gang's first tunnel was discovered on August 23, 2007 by construction workers at the Fallowfield retail park.
"The theft has been a massive talking point. We all remember the attempt to steal the machine four years ago, but it seems the people responsible for that raid simply refused to give up," a Blockbuster employee said.
Police have yet to make any arrests in the case.
"These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that time, without telling others about their scheme. They must also have spent a lot of time in the area over the past few months, which people may have noticed," said Detective Sergeant Ian Shore.
"I would ask that anyone who may have noticed anything unusual around this Blockbuster store, or who may have seen or heard anything they think might help us with our investigation, to get in touch," he said.
