Just doing a little research on the image, I found that it's a BATMTwo machine, which allows converting cash to cryptocurrency. So it's possible that what he was looking for wasn't the "Bitcoin" you're referring to, but rather the cash stored inside the machine. The thief might not have gotten the "Bitcoin" he was hoping for, but at least he could have gotten some cash if someone had recently used the machine to convert their cash to cryptocurrency.
So in other words the thief in question wasn't really acting out of ignorance that bitcoin isn't a physical cash but was rather with the aim of stealing any available cash that could have being deposited by any one who may have come to convert cash to bitcoin within that period.
I doubt he left the machine without achieving getting any cash because he must have done his maths and knew when could be the right time he can steal some cash since it wasn't like he was actually aiming for bitcoins to steal.
You know that's why I find this whole thread so amusing because almost everyone here have already made a complete judgement for the thief, that he stole the BATM just for the purpose of getting BTC which from every angle he must have done research before carrying out such task so why the hell would his intentions solely be for the Bitcoin rather than the cash that is used as an option to buy Bitcoin to your wallet.
