Four youths were arrested in the early hours of Monday when they attempted to steal cash from an Automated Teller Machine on Pozhichalur Main Road, Pammal.
Shankar Nagar police said a sub-inspector attached to the police station on night duty was on rounds on Pozhichalur Main Road, when he approached the ATM of Axis Bank around 2.30 a.m., to sign the police log book. (The book, also known as “patta puthagam” has to be signed by the beat policemen on duty in important places at regular intervals). While the shutter was closed from inside, the SI noticed movement of a few people inside and immediately bolted it from outside. He alerted his colleagues over wireless and then opened the shutter. While two youth ran out, the SI managed to nab the third, Vignesh.
Policemen of Pallavaram station conducted vehicle checks on Grand Southern Trunk Road, where they intercepted a cargo autorickshaw. Two youths Premkumar and the vehicle driver Alwin were arrested.
A little later, Varghese was arrested by Meenambakkam police on GST Road near the airport. Investigations revealed that C.Varghese (27) was working for the past four months with AGS Transact Technologies Limited in Adyar, a private firm that was responsible for the ATM's maintenance.
A computer science student from a polytechnic college in Dindigul, he was a resident of MGR Nagar, Velachery. He had masterminded the plan to rob the ATM, police said, adding that he had taken the help of two of his friends, Vignesh and Premkumar, who had also completed polytechnic. They hired a cargo autorickshaw driven by Alwin and went to Kalpakkam, from where they hired gas cylinders and the welding equipment.
As Varghese was aware that the ATM on Pozhichalur Main Road was neither under Closed Circuit Television Camera surveillance nor was a security guard on duty, he decided to strike it in the early hours. Their plan was to cut open the ATM and escape with the cash. They entered the ATM and pulled down the shutter and minutes later, SI appeared to sign the log book nearby when he noticed something amiss. All four youths have been arrested and further investigations were on.
