A bundle of money was discovered missing from the Banorte automatic teller located next door to the entrance of Chapala City Hall when personnel from the Armstrong armored car company arrived Thursday, August 24 to restock the machine.
Finding no signs of physical damage to the banking module, authorities presume that a bandit using electronic equipment and Wi-fi technology commanded the apparatus to spit out high denomination bills in a stealthy cyber crime committed in a matter of minutes.
The ATM had apparently been loaded with at least 650,000 pesos in cash a couple of days earlier. The unit was kept closed to the public for more than 24 hours while an Armstrong technician worked to determine exactly when the theft occurred and the sum of pilfered pesos.
The ATM is situated in a niche of the local government headquarters, only steps away from the spot where police guards stand on round-the-clock watch.
While cyber heists against banking institutions have happened with increasing frequency in the Guadalajara metro area, this was the first incident reported in the Chapala area.