Interstate ATM gang caught in covert operation, NT police say
Four men have been arrested after a covert operation targeting what NT police say is an interstate automatic teller machine (ATM) crime gang.
Detective Senior Sergeant Karl Day said the men, aged 31, 33, 37 and 41, were tracked by interstate law enforcement agencies to the NT earlier this month.
"We will allege these men have been responsible for up to 65 cases of theft from ATMs in four states."
The NT police operation over the weekend involved heavily armed Tactical Response Group (TRG) members stopping the men's vehicle on the busy Stuart Highway after covert observation at Coolalinga, 29 kilometres from Darwin.
Sen Sgt Day said the men were "acting extremely suspiciously for more than an hour".
When police stopped the car, Sen Sgt Day said police found breaking implements, dark clothing and scanning equipment.
Police will allege the men arrived in the Territory last Tuesday and had been driving around Darwin.
He described the alleged method used by the men as highly sophisticated, with "various means of entry, various means of opening ATMs... and leaving the tools where they used them".
"This gang is well trained, highly disciplined, highly sophisticated and that's part of the reason why they've been so successful," Sen Sgt Day said.
"The detection and arrest of such a sophisticated interstate crime gang operating in the Northern Territory will hopefully act as a deterrent for others who may incorrectly consider the NT to be an easy target."
Sen Sgt Day said his interstate colleagues were keen to speak with the men, who remained in police custody and who are expected to face court this week.
