WELLINGTON, June 4 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand Police are investigating a rare burglary case in which an entire ATM was stolen from a Bay of Plenty bank overnight, with the help of a front end loader, reported local media on Tuesday.

New Zealand Police confirmed that in the early hours of Monday morning a front end loader was stolen and used to damage a building in Murupara, North Island and steal an ATM machine.

The offenders fled the scene towing the ATM on a trailer. The ATM and trailer were found abandoned shortly before 4:00 a.m. local time on Monday morning in a nearby forest area. The trailer was significantly damaged and the ATM machine appeared to still be secure, said local police.

Local police are now investigating into this rare burglary case.

A local resident from Murupara said the incident was "very sad for such a close and small community to see this".