Karimnagar SBI ATM loot: Police achieve breakthrough, identify two accused

Police have identified two of four suspects allegedly involved in the September 19 burglary of two SBI ATMs in Karimnagar. Investigators suspect a Haryana gang, which used gas cutters and CCTV-obscuring paint, may have committed similar ATM thefts elsewhere in Telangana

Karimnagar: Investigators have finally made a breakthrough in the sensational burglary of two State Bank of India (SBI) ATMs at Durshed and Thimmapur on the outskirts of Karimnagar in the early hours of September 19, with two of the four accused identified.

Unidentified culprits broke open the two SBI ATMs at Durshed and Thimmapur and fled with Rs 16 lakh in cash between 3 am and 4 am. They used gas cutters to cut open the machines. They reportedly wore women’s attire to hoodwink the police and sprayed paint on CCTV cameras in the kiosks before committing the theft.

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Four special teams have been formed to trace the offenders. Investigators said the culprits might have arrived from Hyderabad and moved towards Maharashtra through Mancherial district. They confirmed that they had obtained CCTV footage showing the suspects entering and exiting Karimnagar district.

“Four persons from Haryana committed the offence. Two of them have been identified. They are from rural areas and are avoiding their native places to evade arrest. Efforts are underway to nab the two at the earliest. They have been involved in similar crimes across Telangana in the recent past,” a source said.

Old SBI ATMs targeted

Investigators disclosed that the Haryana gang was targeting old SBI ATMs, apparently because of their familiarity with the machines and the ease with which they could be cut open using gas cutters. They suspected that the gang might also be linked to a similar theft in Medak.

The police inferred that the miscreants had conducted a recce before committing the offence. The robbers managed to decamp with the cash from the Durshed ATM in just eight minutes, while they took 15 to 20 minutes to execute the heist at the other ATM, indicating their proficiency. The offenders travelled in a four-wheeler Scorpio registered in Madhya Pradesh.

The robbery created a flutter in the town, known for its relative tranquillity. Locals said they were concerned about major burglaries occurring at regular intervals and expressed anxiety following the latest theft.

Recent instances

July

A gang of eight masked miscreants allegedly decamped with 66 tolas of gold, 10 tolas of silver and Rs 21 lakh in cash after threatening an elderly couple with a knife and fake revolvers and tying them to a pole at Bhagathnagar in Karimnagar.

May

Ten persons, including three burglars from West Bengal and one from Bihar, were arrested in connection with a theft at PMJ Jewellery in Karimnagar.

Three masked robbers fled with Rs 2.30 lakh after cutting open an ATM with a gas cutter at Telangana Crossroads in Mahbubnagar.

2024

Interstate burglars cut open an ATM using a gas cutter and fled with Rs 27.75 lakh from an ATM near NTPC in the Ramagundam Municipal Corporation limits.