Pair accused of stealing device from machine at Lincoln bank
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Police say two thieves hit a Lincoln bank on Saturday morning — but it wasn’t money that they made off with.
Shortly before 1:30 a.m., the branch manager at West Gate Bank near Southwest 13th Street and West O Street reported a theft.
The manager told police that someone had opened the door of an interactive teller machine before taking off in a white van. An ITM is like an ATM but also offers video conferencing and other features.
Officers saw a white van in a nearby parking lot and took two men into custody: 31-year-old Luis Berdugo-Barraza and 34-year-old Carlos Padron.
Inside the van, police found a storage device from the ITM that was valued at $5,000 to $10,000.
Investigators think the men were trying to upload malware to the ITM to withdraw money or access banking information.
Berdugo-Barraza and Padron were arrested on suspicion of theft by unlawful taking, unlawful manufacturing of a financial transaction device and possession of burglar’s tools.
