Gang steals Bank of Baroda ATM from near Tirupur

COIMBATORE: A four-member gang stole a Bank of Baroda ATM from near Uthukuli in Tirupur district of Tamil Nadu in the early hours Sunday.
The gang members, who covered their faces with clothes, entered the ATM room at Koolipalayam Four Roads around 4am. They attempted to break the ATM open to take out the notes in it. When their first attempt went vain, they tied a crane belt to the ATM and connected the same to a stolen sport utility vehicle (SUV). One of the gang members took the SUV forward to pull the ATM out. The gang escaped with the ATM around 4.30am.
The gang abandoned the SUV near Perundurai in Erode district and shifted the ATM to another vehicle.
On Sunday morning, passersby found the ATM’s main door broken open and the ATM missing. They alerted the Uthukuli police who rushed to the spot and collected the CCTV footage from the ATM room.
Sub-inspectors from the finger print bureau visited the crime scene, and a sniffer dog was also pressed into service. The Tirupur rural police have formed three special teams to nab the ATM burglars.
Bank officials told the police that they loaded around Rs 15 lakh in the machine on February 19. “The officials told us that at least Rs 1.6 lakh could have been in the machine when it was stolen,” said a police officer.
Meanwhile, the SUV that was found abandoned near Perundurai was brought to Uthukuli police station.
The police said the SUV belonged to Balamurugan, 42, of Nalligoundanpalyam near Perundurai. He was operating his vehicle for the Tangedco officials on a contract basis.
Balamurugan parked his SUV at Vettuvapalayam area and returned home around 11 pm on Saturday. He went to Vettuvapalaaym around 5am on Sunday to take his vehicle. He found the SUV missing and lodged a complaint with Perundurai police in the morning. The Uthukuli police picked him for questioning.