Robbers break open two ATMS, loot Rs 23 lakh

TAMLUK/DEBRA: Robbers looted about Rs 23 lakh from two ATMs, one at Tamluk in East Midnapore and the other at Debra in West Midnapore, early on Tuesday. The distance between the two ATMs is about 50km and investigators are not yet certain whether the same gang was involved. The police in both districts said gas-cutters were used to break open the two unguarded ATMs.

At Tamluk's Kankdia Bazar, a gang looted Rs 20.28 lakh from a nationalised bank's ATM after allegedly breaking open the machine with a gas-cutter. The loot was discovered on Tuesday morning, when the customers went to withdraw cash from the ATM. Tamluk police station, about 11km away, was immediately informed about it. The cops found the wires of all the four CCTV cameras within and outside the ATM snapped. On inspecting the ATM, the police confirmed that gas-cutters were used to break the machine and then, the cash was looted. Sleuths have spoken to the bank authorities and are now trying to gather CCTV images recorded till just before the CCTV camera wires were cut off.

About a month ago, robbers had allegedly snatched Rs 40,000 from a woman after she exited the Kankdia branch of another nationalised bank. Four bike-borne suspects allegedly dragged the woman for about 2.5km till she fell to the ground, sustaining critical injuries. She was treated in a Kolkata hospital but succumbed a fortnight later. The police arrested four suspects and recovered the entire sum.

At Debra, masked robbers looted about Rs 3.27 lakh from an ATM of a private bank along NH-6 after allegedly breaking open the machine, also with a gas-cutter. They fled with the case where the cash was stored in the ATM. Locals, who were out at that early hour, noticed the ATM had been broken into and called the Debra police station. Sleuths found that the screens of three of the four CCTV cameras had been smashed and the lower part of the ATM missing. The police called the bank authorities, after which Debra branch officials reached the spot.

West Midnapore SP Alok Rajoria said, "The robbers used a gas-cutter to break open the ATM. We have requested the CID to investigate the case." The police said the ATM was last replenished on Monday morning.