Hyderabad: A day after loading cash in an ATM kiosk at Huzurnagar in Suryapet district, unidentified persons broke into it and made away with cash early Sunday in a white Toyota Fortuner SUV, forcing the police to carry out a detailed probe into the incident.
Using black spray, they first blurred the CCTVs to prevent police from identifying them and later cut open the ATM using a gas cutter. After the incident, fire broke out in the kiosk damaging the entire premises. It is not yet clear whether the thieves torched it intentionally or flames erupted accidentally while using a gas cutter.
However, the total loss of cash from the kiosk of SBI was yet to be known as the bank officials did not submit details with the police till late afternoon. Sources said that thieves might have stolen Rs.20 lakh from the kiosk.
Huzurnagar Station House Officer G Muthaiah said the incident came to light when a lorry driver noticed suspicious movements of some persons near the kiosk and alerted the police. “By the time we rushed to the spot after receiving information from the driver, the thieves completed their task and escaped,” he said.
He explained that the thieves appeared to be so expert in breaking ATMs with gas cutters as they executed their task in 10 minutes meticulously leaving no scope to identify them. “They first blurred the CCTVs and opened the ATM with a gas cutter and escaped,” he said.
The footage that collected from the CCTVs of other areas near the kiosk indicated that three to four people were involved in the entire operation and vanished in a white SUV. “What surprises us is that the theft happened the day after the money was loaded in the ATM,” another officer said.