Two security guards allegedly stole an estimated Rs. 3.5 lakh from the ATM counter of Lakshmi Vilas Bank in Ulsoor near Venkatachala Circle on St. John's Road here.
The theft is suspected to have occurred on Sunday but was noticed on Monday.
Police, quoting bank officials, said Rs. 9 lakh was loaded in the ATM located at the entrance of the posh bank building, on Saturday. The two guards, Masoom Akhtar and Bipul Poojari, both from Bihar, allegedly broke into the ATM, and fled with the money.
The bank had hired the two from the Modern Security Force at Palace Guttahalli.
Bank officials had kept the keys of the ATM in a tray in the fourth floor of the building. The suspects, who were on duty, entered the fourth floor after smashing the glass door of the bank with a hammer and picked up the keys.
They then opened the ATM, took the cash and vamoosed. The entire episode has been recorded in the CCTV of the kiosk as well as other CCTV cameras installed in different parts of the building, a bank official told The Hindu .
According to him, the theft came to light when employees of the company entrusted with placing money inside the ATM, turned up at 12.45 p.m. on Monday.
“The guards are absconding,” said the Bharathi Nagar police, who recovered a hammer and iron rods from the spot.
