Delhi: 3 ATMs uprooted from district in one week\, Rs 36 lakh gone

Delhi: 3 ATMs uprooted from district in one week, Rs 36 lakh gone

Initial investigation suggests there is a common link between all these incidents — in the first two incidents, the accused came in a Bolero, and in the third case, they arrived in a Scorpio.

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Published: February 16, 2020 2:43:10 am
3 ATMs uprooted from district in one week, Rs 36 lakh gone A Scorpio was used to uproot the ATM in Govindpuri on February 14

Three ATMs have been uprooted from South East Delhi within a span of one week, with over Rs 36 lakh gone in the daring heists. All three incidents have been captured on CCTV cameras, with police saying the accused men used SUVs to uproot the ATMs. However, police are yet to make an arrest in connection with the crimes.

Police said the first incident took place at New Friends Colony on February 9. The second incident was reported from Badarpur on February 12, and the third on February 14 in Govindpuri. “We received a call about the (latest) theft on Saturday morning, following which senior officers visited the scene of the crime. Some unidentified people came in a four-wheeler and fled with the automated teller machine (ATM). We have registered an FIR at Govindpuri police station and formed teams to nab the accused,” DCP (South East) R P Meena said, adding that FIRs have also been lodged in connection with the other cases.

Initial investigation suggests there is a common link between all these incidents — in the first two incidents, the accused came in a Bolero, and in the third case, they arrived in a Scorpio.

“So far, police have found that a gang, armed with a gas cutter, a long belt and other items, is operating in South East Delhi. They are operating with around half-a-dozen men and targeting unguarded ATMs during odd hours. Police came to know through their informers that after reaching the ATMs, they use a spray to block out CCTV cameras and cut the wire placed outside the ATM. They then use a gas cutter to weaken the base of the ATM,” an officer said.

Police found that after the base of the ATM is weakened, they used the belt to tie the machine to their SUVs. “A few strong jerks are enough to uproot the machine. The men then escape with the machine to their hideout, where they remove the cash,” the officer said.

The manager of the banks told police that the accused stole Rs 24 lakh from NFC, Rs 12 lakh from Badarpur and Rs 57,000 from Govindpuri. “Despite the first two incidents, no special night patrolling arrangement had been started during night hours,” a police source said.

DCP Meena said now they have made special security arrangements by deploying police personnel during the night and will ask the banks to deploy security guards at their ATMs.