Unable to overcome financial losses, a young businessman allegedly attempted to steal cash from an ATM machine in Sector 6 of Rohini here on Saturday. He was arrested by a police patrol team.
Three constables were on patrol duty around 5 a.m. when they noticed a luxury car parked outside an ATM machine booth, blocking its entry gate. The booth's shutter was down and its lights switched off. However, some commotion inside the booth drew their attention. They entered the booth and found a man wearing a cap fitted with an LED bulb. His face was covered and he was trying to tamper with the machine.
The accused had wrapped medical tape around his fingers to avoid leaving any fingerprint. He had also brought along several tools like a mini gas-cutter, screwdriver, a crowbar and an iron blade to break open the machine. The accused had managed to open the outer lid of the machine and was in the process of breaking the cash box when the policemen entered the booth. They found a toy pistol and a knife in his possession.
During interrogation, the accused identified himself as Chander Bhan, 32, a resident of Sector 4 in Rohini. He belongs to Mathura in Uttar Pradesh and lives here with his wife and son. He was earlier into plastic granules business, but suffered huge losses and had to wind up the trade. He is presently going through an acute financial crisis.
Unable to sustain a lavish lifestyle, the accused started looking for “easier” means to make quick money. “He watched crime investigation-related programmes and movies on television channels to get ideas. He finally decided to steal money from an ATM machine and gathered the required implements. He got a battery-actuated LED bulb fitted to a cap, similar to the ones used by mine workers, for the purpose,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer Delhi) B.S. Jaiswal, adding that Mr. Bhan is a post-graduate in commerce.
Mr. Jaiswal said the bank had not deployed a security guard at the ATM booth, that contained around Rs.16 lakh.
