ATM theft bid fails as alarm goes off

BENGALURU: An unidentified man broke open an ATM machine maintained by Andhra Bank at Rajajinagar on Sunday night, but had to flee without any cash after an inbuilt alarm system went off.
Police said the incident occurred around 3.30 am on Rajkumar Road near Navarang Theatre.

A man, with his face covered with a piece of cloth and wearing a cap, entered inside and sprayed a chemical on the CCTV camera. Then he used a gas cutter to break open the ATM machine and open the cash loading portion. Immediately, an emergency alarm attached to the machine sent an alert to a private security agency based in Mumbai. 

The staffers called the bank manager and the security agency to inform the nearby police. Rajajinagar police subsequently rushed to the spot, but they could not nab the accused. The miscreant, who also heard the alarm sound, managed to flee.

“His entire act has been recorded on the CCTV camera placed inside the ATM, and his movements have also been caught on two other CCTV cameras. A special team has been formed to nab him,” a police officer said. “Neither the bank staff nor the security agency have come to the police station to give a statement yet. They had not even deployed a security guard on the premises,” police sources added.

Just a week ago, Rajajinagar police had arrested a Ugandan national, Nyiro Ismail, for allegedly fixing a skimming device to an ATM and withdrawing cash fraudulently. The skimming machine was detected by alert officials of the security agency in Mumbai.