The theft of an automated teller machine (ATM) in Dwarakanagar in Bagalur on Tuesday was followed by two incidents of attempted ATM thefts on Wednesday night, leading police to suspect the involvement of the same gang or a copycat crime by other gangs.
While the police are still questioning people but have not made any arrests in the Bagalur case, officials revealed two more theft attempts were made in Vidyaranyapura and Jnana Bharathi police limits the following night. Apart from this, there had been a similar attempt in Hebbagodi a day before the ATM was stolen in Bagalur.
Though the three other incidents were all failed attempts, the police said they suspect the same gang, perhaps consisting of at least 10 members, was involved in these incidents.
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Around 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday, a gang attempted to steal from an unguarded ATM of the United Bank of India near Ambedkar college at Mallatahalli.
Like Bagalur, its members had masked their faces and covered the CCTV camera with a black cloth before attempting the theft. The incident came to light on Thursday afternoon when a security agent came to stock the ATM and alerted the Jnana Bharathi police. The police said the ATM had been damaged in an attempted to dislodge it from its base.
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Vidyaranyapura
Earlier that night, an alert security guard foiled an attempt to rob the State Bank of India’s ATM by a group of four in Vidyaranyapura.
Around midnight, a gang came in an SUV and parked a few yards away from the ATM kiosk attached to another bank. They were trying to break open the machine when the guard was alerted by the noise. The gang fled.
In the Bagalur heist, the gang walked into the State Bank of India kiosk and carted away the 450-kg ATM containing Rs. 24 lakh early on Tuesday.