Would-be ATM robbers steal wrong machine

Three would-be thieves broke into a bank in northern Malaysia but failed to make off with any cash as they yanked out the wrong machine - a cheque deposit machine instead of an automated cash dispenser, the national news agency Bernama reported Wednesday.

The three men broke into the entrance area of the bank in the northern town of Bukit Mertajam early Wednesday, and tied a rope - attached to two vehicles - around a machine, police district investigation chief Chor Ah Sing said, according to Bernama.

They jerked the machine off its hinges, sending it crashing to the ground floor, Chor added.

The crashing sound alerted a security guard to the breach and he chased them away, it said.

The three men had already managed to open the machine but found no cash as it was a cheque deposit machine, the national news agency said. It is not immediately clear if they made off with any cheques.

Local police officials could not be immediately contacted for comment.