Over Sh11m stolen from 4 Barclays ATMs in city

Barclays Bank Kenya #ticker:BBK Sunday moved to reassure its customers of uninterrupted services after four of its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) in the city were broken into on Saturday night and more than Sh11 million stolen.

In a statement, the bank said investigators were working hard to track down the criminals who raided its ATMs located in Buru Buru, Kenyatta National Hospital, the Mater Hospital and the Cinema Plaza during the long Easter weekend.

“We are working with investigative authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are brought to justice. We would like to reassure our customers that they can continue to access our services through our branch ATMs countrywide as well as our mobile and internet banking channels,’’ the bank said.

According to police reports, Sh6,290,000 was stolen from the Mutindwa ATM lobby in Buru Buru where there was no surveillance camera, Sh4,315,000 from the Kenyatta National Hospital ATM and another Sh1 million from the Mater Hospital ATM in Nairobi’s South B. The amount stolen from the Cinema Plaza ATM was unknown.

In the Mater Hospital theft, the robbers are said to have smeared the CCTV camera with petroleum jelly, which blurred footage. The robbery was reportedly executed at 7.30 pm. Police were yet to make any arrests by the time of going to press. The robberies will now turn attention on how banks manage their offsite ATMs (away from branches).

Last month, Barclays Bank Kenya hit the headlines after Flying Squad detectives found Sh2 billion alleged fake currency and gold in a customer’s safe deposit box at its Queensway branch.

The owner of the seized cash, Mr Eric Adede, has since denied the money is fake and requested the court to compel police to bring it to court.