Shona Gossip
Detectives on Merseyside who locked up a gang of ATM thieves are liaising with police investigating a similar raid in Aberdeenshire.
Seven men were jailed last year for the theft of £800,000 from 28 cash machines in banks, post offices and supermarkets across England.
Their sentences totalled 114 years.
Police are still hunting for two men wanted in connection with the crimes – one of whom is believed to be in Scotland.
And now detectives involved in the case have been asked for guidance by Police Scotland, who are investigating at least three ATM thefts in recent weeks.
In the latest raid, thieves stole more than £10,000 from two cash machines at the Morrisons store in Banchory early on Wednesday.
It is believed they used a stolen Land Rover Defender to haul the machines through the front window, before fleeing with the money.
The theft happened just a day after Merseyside Police appealed for help in tracing Adam Murphy and Andrew White, who are wanted for conspiracy to cause explosions at cash machines and burglary of banks and shops in 2013.
Murphy, 29, is believed to be in Scotland while White, 25, has links to Spain.
Police in Aberdeen last night refused to say if they believed Murphy could have been involved in the Banchory raid, but confirmed they were working with forces across the UK.
A spokesman said: “We’re keeping an open mind and not ruling anything out at this stage.
“We’re liaising with police divisions and forces throughout the UK.”
A spokesman for Merseyside Police said it was normal practice for detectives to discuss similar cases to see if there were any connections, or if they could offer suggestions about how to proceed with the investigation.
He added: “We confirm that a DCI in Merseyside has linked in with detectives in Scotland in relation to these matters.”
Police were called to Morrisons, in Banchory’s North Deeside Road, at about 3am on Wednesday.
The two ATMs were found lying at the entrance to the store, surrounded by broken glass and window frames.
Officers began sifting through CCTV footage of the scene, and questioning nearby residents.
They said they believed a blue Land Rover Defender – registration number R451UMS – which was stolen from the Dinnet area overnight, and another vehicle would have been used, and appealed for anyone who saw them travelling in convoy to come forward.
Last year, thieves targeted cash machines in New Deer, Oldmeldrum, Inverurie, Ellon, Stonehaven and Aberdeen over two months.