AN ATM machine has been found by gardai investigating the cross border theft of a cash-point that was ripped from a service station in Co Down with a stolen digger.
One man in his 20s was arrested in the Garda operation in Co Monaghan while two others fled the scene.
A cash machine was stolen from a filling station on the Camlough Road near Newry in the early hours of Friday.
The digger was left burnt out and abandoned in the middle of the road following the theft.
Gardai across the border carried out searches in the Carrickmacross area on Friday morning.
At Drumass, Inniskeen they found a white transit type van with three men nearby.
All three fled on foot but a suspect was detained near the scene a short time later. An ATM was found inside the van.
The search for two men was continuing on Friday afternoon. It involved the Garda Air Support Unit, the Emergency Response Unit and Regional Support Units. The operation is being run in co-operation with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
A forensic examination of the van and its contents has been undertaken.
