Slovakia plagued by ATM explosions: man from Váhovce charged
A man from the village of Váhovce, who had been hiding in Hungary, faces charges over an attack on an ATM in Dolné Salibchy. A wave of explosions targeting cash machines is spreading across Slovakia.
Slovakia plagued by ATM explosions: man from Váhovce charged
An explosion at the only local ATM occurred in Dolné Salibchy in the south of the country on 18 March. The perpetrator managed to remove the device. This incident added to a long list of villages where financial machines were attacked in the same manner – previously in Piešťany, Chtelnica, Madunce and Malacky. Details were reported by the server The Slovak Spectator.
Investigators announced on 16 June that charges had been brought against a twenty-eight-year-old resident of Váhovce. The man had been hiding from the law in neighbouring Hungary. This announcement came approximately a month after investigators closed the case of the explosion in Madunce.
The number of similar attacks across the country is continuously rising. Following the March incident, further explosions occurred in Lehota pod Vtáčnikom (15 May), Dudince (20 May) and Osliany (16 June). Statistics show an alarming trend: whilst perpetrators destroyed 29 ATMs in 2025, police recorded 15 such cases in just the first quarter of 2026.
The exact amount of cash stolen remains unknown. Not all attacks result in profit for the thieves – some end up in police hands, whilst others are exposed by witnesses. Security mechanisms in some machines are able to render banknotes worthless before perpetrators manage to escape, for example by marking them with dye.
The Police Force Presidium responded by establishing a specialised task force aimed exclusively at gangs attacking ATMs. It included personnel and investigators from all regions of the country. For tactical reasons, the law enforcement authorities and financial institutions do not provide further details about security measures.
Source: The Slovak Spectator