Tirupati: Kurnool police on Thursday arrested four persons who were involved in major ATM thefts across the country. The accused were identified as Shahid Khan (38), S Imran Khan (35), Jamshed Khan (43), and Shawkar Khan, all residents of Haryana.
Kurnool SP Vikrant Patil said main accused Shahid Khan was booked in 26 similar cases across multiple Indian states in the past. Similarly, Imran Khan was accused in 15 major ATM theft cases registered at various police stations in the country. The gang made an unsuccessful bid to steal an ATM machine near the NH-44 service road at Chinna Tekuru village on Feb 24. The gang first stole a towing machine under Kurnool IV town police station limits, and tried to pull out the ATM machine. However, when they realised they were being watched by local youth, they panicked and fled from the spot, leaving behind the ATM machine.
Following a complaint lodged by the Bank of Baroda manager, Ullindikonda police registered a case and following the instructions of Kurnool SP, four special teams were formed to investigate the case and arrest the accused. During the course of the investigation, police found that the gang was travelling in a container truck. They kept a close surveillance on their movements and nabbed them at a local dhaba near Chetlamallapuram village on Thursday. Police also recovered gas-cutters, a gas cylinder, knives, and masks from their possession.
