india

Updated: Apr 22, 2019 04:14 IST

A group of unidentified thieves allegedly cut open an automated teller machine (ATM) of a public sector bank with a gas cutter (a metal-cutting torch) and stole ₹12.17 lakh in Sector 37 on Saturday night, the police said.

According to the police, the exact time of the theft was unknown since the bank was yet to handover the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the ATM kiosk.

Inspector Rakesh, station house officer (SHO), Sector 37 police station, said the police was yet to identify any suspect in the case.

“The prima facie probe has revealed that the thieves used a gas cutter to cut open the ATM machine. The bank officials estimated the amount stolen from the ATM to be ₹12,17,800, which was in the machine at the time of the theft. Since it was a holiday, the bank officials are yet to handover the CCTV footage,” Kumar said.

The police said no security guard had been deployed at the ATM.

A case was registered against the unidentified suspects under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house, etc.) and 457 (lurking, house trespass or house breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 37 police station on Sunday, the police said.

The incident comes a fortnight after a group of thieves allegedly stole ₹16.77 lakh from an ATM in Jharsa village in Sector 39 after cutting it open with a gas cutter. The thieves lit the ATM machine on fire, allegedly to remove any forensic evidence, before fleeing.

The police said that they were probing to check if the same gang was involved in both cases.

Last month, the police had arrested two members of a Nuh-based gang called Advani gang who were involved in stealing several ATMs. The duo had told the police that they would uproot ATMs by tying one end of a strong rope to the ATM and the other end to their pick-up van. They would take the machine to an isolated area and break it open to steal the cash. In September 2018, two members of the same gang had been arrested for stealing ATMs, robbery and snatching.