A notorious criminal gang from the Mewar region of south central Rajasthan is suspected to be involved in the robbery at four Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) on the Cuddalore-Chittoor Road (NH 38) located in various places in Tiruvannamalai district in the early hours of Sunday (February 12).
Police sources said that investigating agencies have narrowed down to this gang based on the pattern of the offence and its modus operandi (method of operation). The gang, consisting of 5-6 suspects, was said to have used only one SUV for the entire robbery.
More importantly, the gang escaped through village roads and unused kutcha stretches rather than driving through the arterial roads and highways to evade CCTV cameras, especially at toll plazas. Scanning the footage from 400 cameras, the police were able to get clear pictures of a few suspects, who were said to be involved in the case.
“We are coordinating with other State police and agencies. We are close, but can’t reveal anything further,” K. Karthikeyan, Superintendent of Police, Tiruvannamalai, told The Hindu.
Initial investigation revealed that the robbery in the temple town of Tiruvannamalai was not an isolated incident. Instead, it was found that the gang had moved from Gwalior towards central and southern Indian States like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala before robbing Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu.
In the period between late January and the first week of February, around 8-10 cases of ATM robberies have been reported in these States, in the same method of operation.
Inputs from the security agencies in these States have helped the police to narrow down on the suspects. Of the nine special teams formed for the purpose, a special crime team, led by Additional Superintendent of Police (ADSP), is camping in Mewar region, working with the local police on the case.
On Monday, N. Kannan, Inspector General of Police (IGP), North Zone, chaired a meeting with the representatives of banks in the district on the safety measures taken in banks and ATMs. It was found that much of the maintenance of the ATMs, including its security arrangements have been outsourced by the banks.
As a result, many ATMs do not have functional CCTV cameras, alarm systems and security guards. In the robbery at ATMs , the police did not get any alert from the alarm system at the kiosks. Banks have been asked to strengthen the security system in all ATMs in the district.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kannan has ordered the transfer of six police personnel, who were on night patrol duty in the area to the Armed Reserve (AR) wing. Special Sub-Inspector (SSI) K. Mohan, 49, head constable S. Varadharajan, 43, in Tiruvannamalai Town police; V. Dakshinamurthy, 47, and B. Arul, 52, both SSI, in Polur town; S. Balram, 55, SSI, and head constable C. Sudhakar, 48, in Kalasapakkam police have been transferred.
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