‘Surgical Strike’ by mice on SBI ATM, whopping Rs 12 lakhs destroyed (IE)

Every note was destroyed to the core. It was nothing less than a ‘surgical strike’! In a nearly unprecedented and shocking incident, notes worth over Rs. 12 lakh were found shredded apart into pieces, allegedly by mice, in an ATM in Tinsukia district of Assam. The ATM (DFBK – 000196116) which belongs to the State Bank of India (SBI) is located in Laipuli area was kept closed from May 20, 2018, due to technical issues.

A group of repairmen visited the ATM on June 11, when they found heaps of shredded Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 rupee notes. Indian Express has reported that the bank officials have confirmed, notes worth Rs 12,38,000 have been destroyed by mice inside the ATM machine. FIS: Global Business Solutions, a Guwahati-based financial company had reportedly deposited 29 lakh rupees in the ATM on May 19.

The shredded notes in the ATM.

A local journalist, who got to know about the incident from a WhatsApp message, has also confirmed to the IE, “The ATM had stopped working the following day.” He also added that “May 20 to June 11 is a significant period of time for an ATM to be out of service. People are suspicious as to why it took so long for the mechanics to arrive.”

On Monday a local news channel has reported that bank officials have recovered notes worth Rs 17 lakhs from the ATM. However, many are still doubtful about what exactly happened inside the ATM. The State Bank of India has lodged an FIR at the local police station to launch a probe into the incident.