Biandrate
Biandrate is a municipality in the Province of Novara, in Piedmont. The town made the news on 30 October 2026 after the cash machine of a UniCredit bank branch located there was blown up [1][2].
The cash machine explosion
On the night between Thursday and Friday, 30 October 2026, unknown perpetrators blew up the cash machine of the UniCredit branch in Biandrate. The alarm went off at 3:20 am, bringing three Carabinieri patrols from neighbouring stations to the scene [1][2]. The blast caused no injuries and, after safety checks, the building was declared fit for use [1][2]. The amount stolen by the perpetrators, who left before law enforcement arrived, is not currently known [1][2]. The Carabinieri opened an investigation, obtaining footage from the branch's surveillance cameras and from municipal checkpoints to trace the escape route and the identity of those responsible [1].
Context: the so-called "cash machine gang"
The incident is linked by sources to a series of raids carried out in the Novara area using the technique of flooding cash machines with gas or explosives, known as the "marmotta" ("groundhog") method [1][2]. Not all attempts have succeeded: in January 2026 a similar attack failed in the municipality of Cressa [1][2].
Chronology
- — During the night between Thursday and Friday, unknown perpetrators blow up the cash machine of the UniCredit branch in Biandrate, in the Novara area, without causing injuries; three Carabinieri patrols respond to the scene. → Quotidiano Piemontese NovaraToday
Related articles: Explosion at the UniCredit cash machine in Biandrate on 30 October 2026
Sources
- Esplode il bancomat nella notte: la “banda della marmotta” colpisce ancora nel Novarese — Quotidiano Piemontese, 30 October 2026
- La banda dei bancomat colpisce ancora: nella notte esplode quello di Biandrate — NovaraToday, 30 October 2026