Jaipur: ATM catches fire during robbery, Rs 3 lakh burnt, Rs 38 lakh looted

JAIPUR: An ATM at Shahpura on the city outskirts near Jaipur-Delhi national highway went up in flames during a theft on Monday night in which cash up to Rs 3 lakh was burnt while the accused fled with an estimated Rs 38 lakh. According to Jaipur (Rural) SP Shankar Dutt Sharma, the accused used a gas cutter to cut open the ATM.“The ATM caught fire and the accused fled with about Rs 38 lakh while currency notes of nearly Rs 3 lakh were gutted,” he said. Police said the exact amount of cash burnt and robbed could not be ascertained as they are waiting for the bank and the ATM operating contractor to present the final loss assessment report.
“It was a completely unguarded ATM. Moreover, CCTV was defunct and the alarm did not set off even when the accused tried to cut it open,” Sharma told TOI, adding that a special investigation team (SIT) was set up to track the accused.
Rajasthan police suspect that the same gang that had staged ATM thefts across Jhunjhunu district in the past two weeks was behind the incident.
“Our teams are examining the modus operandi to cross-check it with other robberies that took place in Jhunjhunu district. The ATM gang use a gas cutter which is not the most favoured instrument that seasoned criminals rely upon. Most of the gangs in the past tied the ATM to a SUV to uproot it,” said an official, adding police are also investigating why additional cash was put inside the ATM around two days ago despite there being little footfall of customers. TNN