Two days after an automated teller machine (ATM) machine of Bank of Baroda containing ₹1 lakh was stolen by a group of men, the Tiruppur District (Rural) Police on Tuesday busted a Haryana-based gang of six persons.
The gang followed a modus operandi of stealing the ATM, taking it away in a stolen vehicle, then transferring it to a container truck, and later abandoning it after taking away the cash.
Seven special teams constituted by Tiruppur Rural Superintendent of Police Disha Mittal zeroed in on the accused on Monday evening and arrested them on Tuesday.
The arrested have been identified as Rahul (24), Rafiq (24), Shahid (25), Shajith (21), Irshad (38) and Kasim Khan (45), all from Haryana.
The police recovered ₹ 69,120 from the accused, out of the ₹1,00,100 that was in the stolen ATM.
According to R. Dhanarasu, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kangeyam, the special teams got specific information about a container truck bearing Haryana registration, which the police suspected that the accused could have used in the heist.
The truck was found parked near a warehouse at Thirunagar Colony near Karungalpalayam in Erode district around 6 p.m. on Monday and the police apprehended the accused who were hiding inside.
During questioning, the accused told the police that they stole a sports utility vehicle belonging to Subramani of Nallikaundanpalayam at Ingur near Perundurai in Erode district and used it to steal the ATM from Sarkar Periyapalayam on Tiruppur – Uthukuli road around 4 a.m. on February 28.
The men had pulled out the ATM from its counter using a rope tied to the SUV. The vehicle was abandoned at Vijayamangalam near Perundurai after shifting the ATM to the truck.
“The truck had come to Bengaluru with a consignment. Then it was brought to Tamil Nadu for the heist,” said Mr. Dhanarasu.
Uthukuli Inspector S. Balasundaram said two country-made pistols were also seized from the accused. They had bought the guns for ₹7,000 per piece from Haryana. Nine live rounds were also seized from the gang.
The police also recovered a gas cutter, a welding machine, five monkey caps, five pairs of gloves, an oxygen cylinder, an LPG cylinder and other tools from the truck.
The six men were produced before a court at Uthukuli and remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday.
