BUKIT MERTAJAM: A factory owner, believed to be driving under the influence of alcohol, rammed into the glass panel of an automatic teller machine (ATM) at CIMB Bank in Kampung Baru here past midnight today.
Footage from closed circuit television camera (CCTV) recording showed the 45-year-old man could have acted deliberately from the way he was manoeuvring his wife's Toyota Hilux.
Seberang Prai Tengah district police chief Superintendent Mohd Mustafa Bidin said investigation revealed that the man fled the scene immediately after the 12.45am incident.
He said when police arrived, they could not find any security guard around, and immediately contacted the bank.
"We managed to question the man, who owns four iron factories. He admitted that prior to the incident, he had consumed wine at home and was in a state of depression after having completed 14 days of self-quarantine for fear that he could have contracted the Covid-19 virus after meeting up with his business partners from China.
"The man had not admitted himself to the hospital for a thorough check for fear that doctors would confirm he had the virus.
"He also told us that he was half-conscious at the time of the incident and was trying to park the car to buy some bread from a convenience store," he said today.
Mustafa added the man was arrested for further questioning.
“Investigation into the matter is underway. We will need to establish whether the incident was deliberate or purely accidental," he said.