Gang that looted Rs 13 crore from 160 ATMs in 7 states busted in Haryana

Four members of a Mewati gang, arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Haryana Police on December 27, have allegedly confessed to their involvement in more than 160 incidents where they uprooted automated teller machines (ATMs) in seven states across the country. The police said the gangsters allegedly robbed more than Rs 13 crore in the last four years and revealed their modus operandi of their crimes.

STF officials said they have received more than 20 calls since their arrests from the police of other states, requesting them to get the gang members’ fingerprints matched and corroborate other circumstantial evidence. The gang members were arrested from a check post near Garhi Harsaru village on Pataudi Road when they were on their way to Pataudi in a multi-axle truck.

The police suspect their involvement in more than 250 cases.

Satheesh Balan, deputy inspector general (DIG), STF, said they have written to the officials concerned in other states and have compiled a data of the incidents reported there and parts of Haryana. “There are 40 members in this gang out of which 20 have been identified. They had formed this gang in 2015 and started operating from Haryana. They robbed an ATM for the first time from Bhiwani on June 27, 2015,” said Balan.

There are 12 such gangs operating out of Mewat that are involved in blowing up ATMs and uprooting them. The gang members split after an altercation over dividing the stolen amount and formed different gangs and divided their areas.

During their four-year-long crime spree, 160 ATMs were targeted, with some ATMs blown up using powerful explosives and others being dragged away by stolen cars and cut with the help of gas cutters to access the cash.

Balan said the gang members were fond of watching Hollywood movies and they planned their strategies from movies such as the Fast and Furious and the Italian Job.

Modus Operandi

During the interrogation, they revealed that they used to have a discussion before deciding on the city. Once the plan got finalised, four members visited that city and conducted reconnaissance of the area where the act would be carried out. They used to spend around a week there and finalised the location where maximum money was loaded in the machine. Later, other gang members used to reach the city in two different vehicles, which they used for the operation, said the police. They used to allegedly target the first night after the money was loaded.

They also told the police that they calculated the distance from the nearest police station and PCR locations to the crime spot to know how much time the police would take to reach the spot. Gang members used to be deployed at the both ends of the road to keep a check on the police movement.

Balan also said the members were connected through conference calls and coordinated with one another regularly. If they found it difficult to cut an ATM machine with gas cutters they allegedly tied up the machine to their vehicle and uprooted it. They also used to get the machine to Mewat and cut it and divide the cash amongst the members, the police said. Later, parts of the machines were thrown near the hilly region on the outskirts of the village.

“The gang never used the same vehicle for the next operation and robbed a new one for each incident,” said Balan adding that the gang always got a new SIM for each new operation.

How they formed the gang

The police said the gang members met in Bhondsi jail and formed the gang. One of the four accused, Irfan Khan, the mastermind, introduced his friends to Sarfaraz alias Sanna, a proclaimed offender, and a history-sheeter wanted for several cases in Haryana, and Rajasthan, Balan said. They then connected and allegedly became friends. Irfan told the police that they all were serious and motivated to earn quick money. Sanna asked them to connect to 30 like-minded people to run this gang. They contacted people from different villages who were involved in carjacking and petty thefts, and allegedly asked them to join the gang.

How they prepared

Balan said the gang members used to meet every day and used to run for five kilometres and exercised regularly to remain fit. They also used to practice to stay calm if the police were to arrest them. Further, they learnt how to calm their nerves if they were to be rounded up, said the police.

Places Targeted

Haryana: Rewari, Rohtak, Bhiwani

Other States: Telangana, Kolkata, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh

First Published: Jan 04, 2019 13:31 IST