Frustrated burglars flee with ATM machine in Kamareddy

The unidentified miscreants, who broke into an ATM kiosk of the State Bank of India in Bichkunda on Monday night, understood that the machine was full of cash.

Kamareddy: A gang of burglars, who found it tough to cut open the cash chest of an ATM kiosk in Bichkunda mandal headquarters, then did the unthinkable. They decamped with the entire ATM machine itself!

The unidentified miscreants, who broke into an ATM kiosk of the State Bank of India in Bichkunda in the wee hours of Tuesday, understood that the machine was full of cash. But their efforts to cut open the cash chest failed.

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Frustrated over their inability to lay their hands on the cash that was so near, they then struck upon an idea that was quite rare in ATM burglaries anywhere in the State. They uprooted the entire machine itself and fled with it.

According to reports, around 3.30 am the security alarm rang and the bank manager informed the police station. However, by the time the police arrived, the gang had already fled the scene. Banswada DSP, Bichkunda Circle Inspector and clue team visited the site and collected evidence. The ATM centre is located 30 km away from the borders of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

The police are suspecting the handiwork of a Maharashtra-based gang behind the episode. The police believe that the gang might have used a four-wheeler to carry the ATM machine. The police have launched a search operation with special teams after going through the CCTV camera footage. A case has been registered and investigation is on.

This incident is reminiscent of a similar one that occurred three months ago in the Rudruru Police Station limits in the Nizamabad district. A similar incident happened in Adilabad town, wherein burglars took away an SBI ATM machine located adjacent to a police station and at the busy Collectorate circle in February 2021. The thieves later took the cash holder and dumped the rest of the machine on the outskirts of Battisavargaon village in Adilabad Rural mandal.

In Nizamabad too, burglars made a futile attempt to steal from an ATM of union Bank of India last October. After the vain bid to break open the machine, the offenders tried to escape with the machine but alert locals spotted the gang and raised an alarm forcing the burglars to flee.