Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Four thieves uprooted and stole an ATM from a bank in southeast Delhi’s Govindpuri on Thursday, decamping with Rs 3.71 lakh from the machine.
According to police, a PCR call was received at the Govindpuri police station at 5.50 am, reporting the theft of an ATM from a bank’s kiosk in Govindpuri.
“The caller stated that the ATM was uprooted and stolen. Upon reaching the location, it was found that the ATM machine was removed from the kiosk. As per technical surveillance, the incident happened between 4 am and 4.30 am,” DCP (southeast) Ravi Kumar Singh said.
“Four suspects came in a car, entered the ATM kiosk, and after some time, removed the ATM machine and fled with the machine in their car. As per a bank employee, the ATM contained Rs 3.71 lakh at the time of the theft,” DCP Singh said.
A case was registered, and efforts are being made to identify the accused and recover the stolen ATM at the earliest, police said.
Police are checking CCTV footage from across the area to see the route taken by the gang to flee the scene.
Last month, an engineer and a BSc graduate were arrested for allegedly stealing an ATM and looting Rs 29 lakh in cash from north Delhi’s Wazirabad area. According to the police, both accused, Nadeem (28) and Sameer (27), along with their four other associates, stole the ATM on Feb 6. Police team recovered a car used in the crime, a portion of the stolen cash, and the stolen ATM machine found dumped inside an old well covered with tree branches.
These incidents come on the heels of a disturbing survey by the Delhi Police’s crime branch last year, which uncovered significant security vulnerabilities at ATMs across the city. The survey, which analysed 5,452 ATMs, revealed that many kiosks lacked security measures, leaving them susceptible to theft and other crimes.
The survey found that 2,053 ATMs had no security guards stationed outside. Moreover, over 900 ATMs lacked CCTV cameras, either inside or outside the booths. In addition, 2,765 ATMs did not have shutter locks, and 218 machines were operating without shutters at all.
Mayank Rawat
