[Above: A policeman from the forensic unit at the crime scene]

By Edward Rajendra

They must have thought that it was going to be easy. Blast the automated teller machine with home-made explosives, grab the cash and run.

But the robbers were in for a rude shock.

The force of the 5am explosion at Kota Kemuning's Jalan Anggerik Vanilla Hong Leong Bank branch blew off the thick glass door and brought down the ceiling.

But the ATM machine, believed to contain hundreds of thousands of ringgit, remained intact.

The crooks fled on motorycles when shocked and terrified foreign workers living on the first floor of neighbouring shoplots rushed out after being jolted by the explosion.

Selangor Criminal Investigation Department chief SAC Datuk Hasnan Hassan said the robbers used a low explosive material in in their attempt to crack open the ATM.

He said they sprayed red paint on the close circuit camera to avoid detection before setting up about half a kg of explosives around the machine.

"No arrests have been made so far," he said. -The Daily Chilli, Asia News Network