CONNECTICUT, USA — Gas stations and convenience stores have become a new target for thieves looking to steal ATM's.
The most recent cases happened early Friday morning in at the Gulf gas station in South Windsor and Valero in East Windsor.
What used to be glass in the store front has now become plywood walls after police said an ATM was stolen from Valero.
The machine was practically ripped into pieces and only the bolts remained on the ground.
At the Gulf gas station, pieces of the ATM were also left into pieces outside. South Windsor Police told FOX61 they believed the two incidents are connected since the method used in stealing the ATM's were the same which is tying a cable around the machine and dragging them out through the doors with a vehicle.
Someone who knew all too well about this is Bakul Shah who owns Shop and Save in Enfield.
Three months ago, his ATM was stolen. He shared pictures of the damage which showed glass shattered everywhere, merchandise was scattered and his entire store was exposed.
"We were boarded up for almost a month before we got our glass back," said Shah of Rocky Hill.
The entire event was captured on his surveillance camera shortly after 3 a.m. that December morning.
The thieves busted the door open, moved the ice cream freezer out of the way and brought in a yellow towing strap to tie around the ATM. They then went outside and hooked up the other end to a vehicle and minutes later, the driver stepped on the gas and the ATM was dragged out of the store.
Shah's store was eventually replaced with new glass and he even got a new ATM.
"Without an ATM, we lose a lot of business," added Shah.
He said ATM's usually have a GPS tracker on it, but the thieves were smart enough to remove that.
Since the incident, he said he has installed better security cameras outside and lights that stay on.
"It seems like pretty much the same gang is probably involved in these incidents because the way everything is done is very professional. They got everything done within 2 and a half to 3 minutes," added Shah.
The managers for East Windsor and South Windsor were not available for comment.
Police have no announced arrests in any of the incidents, but they said if anyone witnessed anything to immediately come forward.