Thai Police Arrest ATM Thief Who Uses Explosives

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN, Thailand -- Local media from this small town in southern Thailand have reported the arrested of a 27-year-old Russian national who targeted ATMs. According to reports, Konstantin Dolgov was taken into custody on Dec. 27 as he was boarding a flight to Kazakhstan at the Suvarnabhumi airport.

Thai law enforcement officials allege that Dolgov used an innovative method to rob ATMs by boring a hole into a machine and filling it with a gas and oxygen combination before setting off an explosion to get to the cash reserve. Deputy Commissioner (Provincial Police Region 7) Thanayut Wuthijarastharong noted that Dolgov has made at least four recent trips to Thailand. Whether these trips were innocent tourism or something more sinister has yet to be established.

Although not widespread in the United States, the use of explosive devices to rob ATMs has become increasingly prevalent in Europe and Asia. Dolgov's alleged crime also seems to follow a recent pattern of international thieves "commuting" to commit ATM theft and then quickly returning to their home countries to avoid apprehension.