Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2010/03/08/cash_machine/

Sumo wrestler lifts cash machine

Hefty withdrawal from Moscow shop

By Lester Haines

Posted in Bootnotes, 8th March 2010 12:32 GMT

Two men including a suspected sumo wrestler were cuffed after bodily lifting a cash machine from a Moscow shop, the BBC reports.

The pair's heist plan was simple enough: walk into the premises on Marshal Fedorenko Street, rip the machine from its mounts and rely on the sumo-wrestling half of the gang to carry the 90kg ATM on his shoulders.

A terrified saleswoman, who was told to "be quiet if you know what's good for you" during the raid, wisely waited until the two had left the scene before alerting police.

Cops blocked off the street, trapping a BMW with tinted windows and no number plates which was found to contain the sumo wrestler, his chum and one cash machine containing 25,320 roubles, or 560 quid.

Police reported that the sumo wrestler may have been duped into doing the heavy lifting. An improbably-worded press release said: "The second rascal says it is his fault entirely and makes out that he misled his sumo-friend, telling him he was taking away his own machine."

The BBC notes that the perps are from an unspecified "neighbouring country", but resident in Moscow. ®