A Dutch gang who stole from a number of ATMs in Flanders have received a sentence of three years in prison, with the possibility of extension to 13 years, by the Antwerp correctional court.
The group stole from ATMs in Flanders on six occasions between May and August 2018.
The first theft took place on 15 May at a KBC bank branch in Tielt-Winge. The gang then damaged and stole from an ATM in Buggenhout on 6 June, Boechout on 13 June, Lummen on 21 June, Sint-Laureins on 20 July and Stekene on 10 August, reports Nieuwsblad.
The gang reportedly injected gas into each of the ATM's and exploded them using long electricity cables, stealing a total of €880,000 from the first four machines.
During the operation in Sint-Laureins, the Dutch gang were forced to flee from the police, while in Stekene, the explosion was not successful.
In 2018, 17 attacks on cash machines took place in Belgium.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
