Thieves drop in to steal ATM from Red Deer gas station

In a scene out of Mission: Impossible, two thieves stole an ATM from a Shell station on Gasoline Alley in Red Deer by cutting a hole in the roof and climbingdowna rope.

• ATM thefts rob small Alberta businesses of cash and sense of security

"Suspects had made entry by cutting a hole in the roof and climbing down a tow rope,"Blackfalds RCMP said in a news release Tuesday.

They used a sledgehammer and a crowbar to help them open the ATM, which was found just west of the gas station.

The theft occurred at 4 a.m. on Oct. 14, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Blackfalds RCMP or CrimeStoppers.

In the first six months of 2016, thieves targeted more than 130 ATM machines in 60 Alberta communities.

Last week, the RCMP and the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams announced they had arrested seven suspects believed to be part of two organized theft rings. They are believed to be involved in six ATM thefts.