Three men stormed into Whalley coffee shop, yanked the machine off a wall and loaded it into an SUV

A crew of masked bandits stole a Bitcoin ATM from Waves Coffee shop at 10777 University Drive in Whalley at 7 a.m. Monday, just after the shop opened for business.

The three men stormed in and worked fast.

Manager Landa Lumase said the thieves hauled the ATM away in a small SUV.

“They came in with a dolly,” she told the Now-Leader, yanked the machine off the wall, “and just walked out.”

“They timed it perfectly — they came right in when the store just opened.”

Nobody was hurt. “Luckily they didn’t bring any firearms with them either,” Lumase said.

She said police are reviewing surveillance footage.

“They got the footage and what-not, so we’re just waiting on the results.”

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To make a transaction on a bitcoin ATM machine you need an existing account. The machines are connected to the Internet and dispense the cryptocurrency bitcoins in exchange for cash.

Corporal Elenore Sturko of the RCMP said the suspects “were wearing dark clothing and covering their faces.”

As for the machine, she said, “I don’t believe it’s recovered, no.”

Sturko said investigators are “continuing to canvass for video and witnesses so anyone with information can contact us or call Crime Stoppers.”

Police ask witnesses to call the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or the Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-800-222-8477.



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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