Authorities in the Manila foiled a bold attempt to steal an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) using a forklift. They arrested four suspects who had carted away a forklift machine from the port area.

Police said the four suspects managed to drive the forklift out of the port area because one of them was a former forklift operator who had been AWOL due to various offences.

Following a tipoff, the police swooped into one of the suspect's house where they found the machine covered with cloth. Francisco Delumbar and his three compatriots confessed they were planning to steal an ATM machine located near the port area after they had read news reports of forklifts being used to steal ATMs in other countries.

"We thought we could do the same here," said Delumbar.

The attempted robbery was foiled when an eight-year-old boy bragged that his neighbor had a forklift machine. The boy's bragging attracted the attention of a police detective who had been assigned to locate the machine owned by a materials handling firm operating at Pier 6.