Watch: Korutla police foil ATM money heist in movie style in Jagtial

According to the police, four unidentified burglars had broken into the ATM of the State Bank of India in Thandriyal road in Korutla town. They managed to open the ATM using gas cutters and took out five cash boxes.

Jagtial: In a scene resembling Tollywood action thrillers, a police patrol team managed to stop a gang of burglars from escaping with cash boxes containing over Rs.19 lakh that the gang had managed to steal from a State Bank of India ATM in Korutla Town in the wee hours of Sunday.

According to the police, four unidentified burglars entered the SBI ATM on Thandriyal road in Korutla town and managed to pry open the ATM cash chest using gas cutters.

They then stole five cash boxes from the ATM. However, the activity in the ATM triggered an alarm alerting the bank staff, who immediately dialled 100 and called in the police.

Korutla SI Satish, who received the call, alerted a patrol team that was near Ilapur. The patrol team including head constable Medi Rajaiah, constable Gattu Srinivas and driver Madhu swung into action and rushed to the spot on their Mahindra Bolero, managing to reach there in seven minutes.

In a video of the incident that went viral, the thieves are seen shifting the cash boxes into their vehicle parked outside the ATM. While one of them is seen walking outside the ATM, presumably keeping a watch, another man is seen shifting the boxes into the rear compartment of the hatchback car they came in.

As the police reaches the spot, with the siren screaming and beacon lights flashing, the burglars panic, and the one who was walking runs to the car, starts it and swerves it to flee the spot. The man who was loading the cash boxes too jumps into the rear of the car.

Madhu, driving the police vehicle, thought fast and rams the Bolero into the fugitive vehicle from the side, throwing one of the burglars out of the vehicle. Though the two constables chased him, he managed to jump back into the car that was speeding off. As the gang sped away, they threw the cash boxes out of the car.

The car, apparently having taking the wrong route in the melee, is seen returning a few seconds later and speeding past the police jeep, in the process hitting one of the boxes that was on the road and sending currency flying all over.

According to the police, the patrol team managed to mop up the cash from the road, and recovered Rs.19,00,200 from the spot.

Superintendent of Police Ch Sindhu Sharma congratulated the Korutla police for preventing the theft and praised the quick response from head constable Rajaiah, constable Srinivas and driver Madhu.

Jagtial DSP R Prakash said special teams were constituted to nab the gang.