Over the long Easter weekend, thugs broke into four Barclays Bank ATMs in different locations in Nairobi and made away with a total Sh 11.5 M.

The first incident is believed to have occurred on Friday at the Barclays Bank ATM  in Kenyatta National Hospital where the perpetrators stole Sh4.3 million. The theft was not discovered until the following day, when technicians went to fix the machine, following a report made by the security guard who mans the facility, announcing that the ATM was not functioning.

The second incident occurred at the Mater Hospital where one million shillings was “erroneously” withdrawn. According to the police, the robbers smeared petroleum jelly on the CCTV cameras to obstruct the view.

The third incident reportedly occurred along Mutindwa Road in Kamukunji on Saturday after another ATM machine loaded with Sh7 million was interfered with and Sh6.2 million stolen. A G4S officer is said to have reported the incident at 2pm on the same day at the Buru Buru police station.

The fourth ATM was broken into at the Kenya Cinema, although Barclays has not stated how much was lost.

“We can confirm that there has been theft at four of our ATMs in Nairobi. We are working with the investigative authorities to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“We would like to reassure our customers that they can continue to access our services through our branch ATMs countrywide as well as our mobile and Internet banking channels,” the bank said.

Police reports show that the theft may have been planned as the machines were either unmanned, tampered with or the CCTV obstructed.

Looks like thugs are taking the cue from our leaders on looting.