KUALA LUMPUR: Three bumbling thieves let all their hard work go to waste when they mistook a cheque deposit machine for an ATM. When they tried to open it, an alarm went off and the trio had to flee empty-handed.

The incident happened on Tuesday (July 4th) at around 10.30pm. The thieves broke into the Hong Leong Bank branch on the ground floor of the Mutiara Shopping Center, along Jalan Batu Tiga Setengah, Jalan Ipoh.

Sentul police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Rodzi Ismail said that a security guard had rushed to the scene when the alarm went off, witnessing the thieves escape.

He said, the thieves were from different races: Malay, Chinese and Indian.

He indicated that the three thieves had broken in through the glass doors at the bank's entrance. A cheque deposit machine inside the bank also showed signs of having been tampered with. It is believed that the thieves mistook the cheque deposit machine for an ATM and tried to break into it.

The bank did not report any missing valuables, however its' closed-circuit television cameras managed to record the break-in. Police believe it will help them identify the thieves.

Rodzi said that the thieves did not leave behind any of their tools. He urged the public to share any information they had with the police by calling: 03-21159999.