HARVEY COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a high-tech interstate theft ring and have made two arrests.
Over the past few weeks, area police departments had received warnings from banks and other law enforcement agencies about ATM thefts in Colorado and western Kansas, according to a media release from Newton Police. The thieves were using special cards that allowed the ATMs to dispense money without the use of pin numbers.
Police in Newton arrested Alexandru Ion-Florin, 44, and Maria Bacelan, 22, on Oct. 27 after a series of thefts at Newton’s Citizens State Bank locations. A total of $22,600 had been taken in six cases.
Both of Newton’s Citizens State Bank branches were hit multiple times on Oct. 26, and the bank captured two suspects on surveillance video. The following day, a Newton officer spotted a car with Texas license plates stopped at the north and then the south Citizens Bank ATMs.
The officer stopped the car, and the occupants matched the description of the suspects in the surveillance video.
The two suspects were arrested and booked into the Harvey County Jail. The two are believed to be part of a large-scale theft ring, and both are believed to be from Romania. They are being held on a detainer from Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Some cash and ATM cards were seized from the suspects’ vehicle. Newton Police are now working with the Secret Service to learn more about how the thefts occurred. The investigation is ongoing.