Brothers arrested in bungled Al Ain bank robbery

Four brothers have been arrested after a bungled bank heist in Al Yahar, west of Al Ain.

Police said the four had smashed their way into a room containing a cash machine early on Thursday morning, then chained the machine to a stolen pickup truck and pulled it out.

The machine was later found a kilometre away, broken into four pieces but with its contents. The thieves had fled after seeing a passer-by, police said.

The pick-up truck, which had been stolen from a car dealership in Abu Dhabi and given a stolen numberplate, was found abandoned on a desert road.

The four brothers, who are from an unnamed Gulf country and all have criminal records, were arrested within 24 hours of the bungled heist. Police said they had confessed to planning the robbery.

Brig Gen Hamad Ajlan Al Amimi, director of Al Ain Police, said the incident was first of its kind in Al Ain.

newsdesk@thenational.ae