Alarm systems in Aeon cash machines were switched off during a series of burglaries last month, managers of the credit service admitted yesterday.
The raids, on free-standing machines at Tsz Wan Shan, Shamshuipo and Ngau Tau Kok, netted about $480,000, said Aeon general manager (finance and administration) Derek Lai Yuk-kwong.
Thieves hit the machines over a 36-hour period on January 27 and 28, ripping out the cashboxes without triggering alarms.
Aeon general manager (credit control) Gerald Fong Chung-leung said police were investigating how the alarms came to be turned off.
'We are not in a position to comment on why it was not on . . . we don't have the exact reason,' Mr Fong said.
'We have a policy to have the alarms operating.' Mr Lai said he did not suspect Aeon employees were involved.
'We don't want to guess anything. We don't know the truth at the moment,' he said.