Inspired by Telugu film, six Bengaluru men carry out secret ATM theft operation, arrested: Report

Interrogation revealed that the group had been discreetly diverting money from ATMs over the past two years.

In a major crackdown, the Mahalakshmi Layout police in north Bengaluru apprehended six individuals for allegedly misappropriating cash from ATMs. Among those arrested, five were employees of a cash management firm, officials revealed on Friday.

Authorities confirmed that none of them had any prior criminal records. (Representational image)

According to a Deccan Herald report, the arrested individuals have been identified as Sameer S (26), Manohar K (29), Girish S (26), Jaggesh (28), Shivu K (27), and Jaswant V (27). While Jaswant hails from Laggere, the remaining suspects are residents of Nandini Layout in Bengaluru.

Authorities confirmed that none of them had any prior criminal records, the report added.

Acting on credible intelligence, law enforcement officers detained the six suspects on January 25 at a tea shop in Kempegowda Layout. "We received reports about a group of men engaged in a heated dispute over a large sum of money. Based on this tip-off, a police team was dispatched, and the individuals were taken into custody," an investigating officer stated as reported by the publication.

Upon their arrest, authorities confiscated a car and ₹43.76 lakh in cash. Interrogation revrouealed that the gp had been discreetly diverting money from ATMs over the past two years. Their operation involved skimming small amounts while loading cash into machines—an approach that evaded detection in routine audits.

Inspired by movie?

A senior police official disclosed that the suspects were influenced by the Telugu movie Lucky Baskhar and had ambitious plans to invest the stolen funds. Further probing led to the recovery of an additional ₹8 lakh and three more vehicles, bringing the total seized amount to ₹90 lakh.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner B. Dayananda revealed that the group exploited their privileged access to ATM passwords.

Authorities are now expanding their investigation to determine the number of ATMs targeted across the city and to uncover any potential accomplices in the scheme.