Hyderabad, Sep 20 (IANS) Burglars damaged two ATMs and looted cash in Telangana’s Karimnagar town in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The offenders targeted two ATMs of the State Bank of India (SBI) in two different areas, using gas cutters to break open the machines and fled with the cash, police said.
The thefts, committed in Durshed under Karimnagar Rural Police Station limits and Thimmapur under LMD Police Station limits, were captured on CCTV.
At Durshed, the thieves allegedly sprayed a liquid on the CCTV cameras before stealing the cash from the ATM.
Police identified the involvement of a woman based on the CCTV footage.
The SBI office in Delhi received an alarm about the burglary at the Durshed ATM, and local SBI authorities were alerted.
Preliminary investigation by police shows that two burglars, including a woman, reached the Durshed ATM in a car. They entered the ATM room around 3.30 a.m.
The accused were wearing caps, spectacles, gloves and masks.
After damaging the ATM, they took away Rs 8 lakh stored in the machine. The amount stolen from the other ATM was not known.
Police have registered two separate cases and launched an investigation.
Special teams have been constituted to apprehend the burglars. The investigators were analysing the CCTV footage and gathered other clues from the scenes of the offence.
A vehicle registered in Maharashtra was used by the offenders. Police initiated measures to trace the vehicle.
CCTV footage from toll plazas was also being analysed to track the vehicle’s movement.
Telangana has been witnessing a series of burglaries in ATMs. In May, thieves had damaged an SBI ATM in Mahabubnagar town and escaped with Rs 2.30 lakh cash. Three thieves had cut open the machine with a gas cutter.
They completed the operation in just seven minutes and escaped in a number plate-less SUV. Before carrying out the theft, the offenders damaged CCTV cameras and other equipment inside the ATM centre to avoid identification.
The series of ATM burglaries has become a challenge for the police.
Police officials have been holding regular meetings with bank officials to beef up security at ATMs.
–IANS
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