The alarm installed at an ATM near Mini Rose Garden in Daba scared away three masked thieves who had struck at the kiosk with an intention to loot in the wee hours of Wednesday.
They, however, had fled from the spot before police or locals could reach.
The miscreants have been captured in the CCTVs installed in the kiosk. The Division Number 6 police have initiated an investigation and are further scrutinising the surveillance footage to identify the trio.
ASI Sona Singh, who is investigating the case, said according to the probe, the thieves arrived at the Axis Bank ATM around 3.20am. “They broke open the shutter and barged into the kiosk. They then sprayed black paint on the security cameras installed inside,” the ASI added.
The accused had managed to take out the front plate of the ATM.
Meanwhile, the security alarm went off and an alert was sent to the company’s headquarters in Mumbai. The officials there informed the local authorities and police. “The accused, in the meantime, managed to escape at 3.28am, leaving behind their spray paint cans,” the cop said.
The police have registered an FIR following the complaint of Harpreet Singh of Bholapur, local head of the company that maintains ATMs in the city.
{{/usCountry}}The police have registered an FIR following the complaint of Harpreet Singh of Bholapur, local head of the company that maintains ATMs in the city.
{{/usCountry}}The ASI added that two out of three miscreants were wearing turban. The accused had walked up to the ATM and ran towards the main road after the foiled robbery bid.
The case has been registered under sections 457, 380, 511 and 34 of the IPC against the unidentified accused. A hunt is on to arrest them, the cop said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the local police chief has already ordered that at least one security guard must be deputed at all ATMs located within the jurisdiction of Ludhiana police from 8pm to 6am. In his order issued under Section 144 of the CrPC, the police commissioner had said that no ATM would be allowed to be open without security personnel.
Previous attacks on ATMs
On April 10, a gang of miscreants had burnt currency worth ₹19.5 lakh loaded in a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM in Ikolaha village of Khanna in an attempt to cut it open amid night curfew imposed in the region due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In a similar incident on December 15, 2020, a robbers’ gang had burnt ₹5.32 lakh loaded in an ATM while trying to break it open in the wee hours. The ATM is located on Ferozepur Road opposite Verka milk plant, but no patrolling party or security men noticed it. The police came to know about the incident in the morning when the bank officials informed them.
About two weeks before, on December 2, 2020, three masked robbers had taken away ₹26.37 lakh after cutting open an HDFC ATM in Lall Kalan village of Samrala in the wee hours. The ATM was unmanned as the bank had not deputed a security guard. The case still remain unsolved.