4 men break open ATM machine in South Delhi, flee with ₹20 lakh cash

Manoj said around 3.30am, the police control room received a call that some persons were trying to uproot an ATM from the kiosk near Satya Niketan and that the ATM had caught fire from the gas cutter.

At least four men broke into an ATM booth in south Delhi’s Satya Niketan early Wednesday, and cut into the cash dispensing unit with a gas cutter before making off with the note-dispensing unit containing around ₹20 lakh, police said, adding that the kiosk was unguarded at the time of the incident.

A team from the South Campus police station rushed to the incident spot but by then the suspects had fled with the cash unit, police said. (Image for representation)

A case was registered at the South Campus police station and several teams were formed to identify and nab the suspects. The modus operandi of the crime suggests it is the handiwork of Mewat-based criminals, the police said, as many from that region were arrested in the past for similar thefts involving the uprooting of the ATM using gas cutters.

“For now, we suspect the hand of Mewati criminals behind the ATM robbery in Satya Niketan. Several teams have been formed to nab the suspects. We got some clues and teams are working on them,” said deputy commissioner of police (south-west) Manoj C.

Manoj said around 3.30am, the police control room received a call that some persons were trying to uproot an ATM from the kiosk near Satya Niketan and that the ATM had caught fire from the gas cutter. A team from the South Campus police station rushed to the incident spot but by then the suspects had fled with the cash unit, police said.

The crime spot inspection team and forensic experts have examined the booth and lifted fingerprints and other evidence from the scene. The CCTV camera footage from inside and outside the kiosk is also being checked.

“At least four persons were captured by the cameras. Their faces were not visible as they were masked themselves and wore caps. The investigators are scanning CCTV cameras along the possible routes that the suspects took,” said a senior police officer associated with the probe.

In April, the special cell of the Delhi Police after a brief gunfight had arrested three members of a Mewat-based gang, including its kingpin Imran, for their role in uprooting an ATM in south Delhi’s Badarpur on March 31. They stole the cash-dispensing machine, which had around ₹34 lakh, the police said.