A 29-year-old man, surnamed Luo, drove his own excavator to a branch of the China Construction Bank in Meizhou city, Guangdong province, and dug a large hole around the front door in attempt to loot the bank early Sunday morning before dawn. Police apprehended Luo while he was still digging, South China Morning post reported.
In the process of trying to rob the bank, he damaged four ATMs but stole no cash. Twisted metal, bricks and fragments of the ATMs were scattered about in front of the bank, the Meizhou Daily reported.
Luo was still digging, when police arrived at the scene after receiving reports. A witness who lived nearby told the newspaper he had intended to lodge a complaint as he thought someone had begun construction work before dawn.
Luo admitted that he planned to steal cash from the ATMs. The digger belonged to him as he worked on construction sites, police said.
Police are now trying to check whether Luo is mentally ill, the Beijing Times reported. The investigation is ongoing.