A Dutch husband was arrested for allegedly trying to steal an ATM during a row with his Thai wife over money.

Sijtse Korlaar, 60, argued with his spouse Waraporn Thitsathien, 37, before driving to a bank in Khon Kaen, northeast Thailand, allegedly to commit the midnight heist.

He was said to have ripped the ATM off the wall using a wrench before then dragging it some 20 metres (66 feet) across the road.

The Dutchman was about to flee the city when he was caught by police as he was hiding in tall grass on the roadside, in the early hours of September 21.

Police Captain Anupong Bamrungphakdee of the Ban Pet district station said officers were alerted to a 'suspicious break-in' at the Siam Commercial Bank at 2:05 am local time.

They rushed to Maliwan Road, where they found the ATM chained to an abandoned black Mazda, with drag marks on the tarmac. Sijtse, dressed in all black, was found hiding in nearby bushes after a brief search.

The disgruntled husband said he had been living in Thailand for more than six years, and had spent 10 million baht (232,750 GBP) building a restaurant for his wife.

He claimed he had a financial dispute with her, driving him to allegedly try to steal the ATM.

Police Colonel Phakphum Decharuangsil, superintendent of Ban Pet Police Station, said: 'The wife had nothing to do with the incident. The vehicle used in the case belongs to a relative and its use was shared within the family. The foreign man used it in the crime

'We charged him with committing theft at night by damaging a barrier intended to protect a person or property, and using a vehicle to facilitate a crime.

'Siam Commercial Bank has already filed a complaint. The inquiry officer also objected to bail during the investigation phase so that the legal process can proceed accordingly.'

(1 GBP = 42.96 THB)