He may have gotten away if it wasn't for quick thinking bank guards, who remotely triggered the ATM's security doors after security cameras caught him installing the electronic devices.
Wearing a mask and a wig, the man entered the glass enclosed ATM at Guangzhou branch of China Zheshang Bank at 1 am Sunday, surveillance video shows.
Little did he know, a guard surnamed Feng and two others were watching.
"They informed me of the crime as it was happening," explained head of the security team surnamed Zhu. "I told them to trap the suspect and review the footage."
After calling police, the guards went to the ATM and told the suspect the door was broken and that someone was on their way to fix it.
Realizing that he was trapped, the suspect began scrambling to remove the devices.
Police arrived 20 minutes later and he was taken into custody.
This article originally appeared on the Global Times website