A case of robbery has been reported at the Punjab National Bank in Himayat Nagar of Hyderabad on July 3. According to the reports, the accused showered pepper spray at the victim to immobilise him when he was in the process of depositing cash at the ATM.
Reportedly, they fled away with a staggering amount of Rs 7 lakh. The incident was recorded on CCTV and later the footage of the act went viral on social media platforms, showing the daring robbery attempted by the thieves.
However, the incident came to light on July 14 when the Hyderabad Commissioner’s Task Force, in collaboration with the Domalguda Police, successfully apprehended four suspects in the theft of Rs 7 lakh from a customer at the Punjab National Bank ATM. The police have recovered Rs 3.25 lakh so far from the culprits. The police have also seized a car and one two-wheeler. The materials used to commit the offense were also recovered, as per the Commissioner’s Task Force.
The accused have been identified as 24-year-old Thansif Ali, 26-year-old Muhammed Sahad, 23-year-old Thanseeh Barikkal, 23-year-old Abdul Muhees, who belongs to Kerala.
A similar case was reported in Delhi’s Sarai Rohilla area, where police arrested five members of a gang accused of stealing approximately Rs 15 lakh from an ATM in the Sarai Rohilla police station area. According to police, they were also able to retrieve Rs.14.90 lakhs from the accused.
The members of Azad’s gang used stolen SUVs with fake number plates and only disguised themselves while committing the thefts, as opposed to the majority of ATM thieves who tamper with CCTV cameras, remove digital video recorders, or displace the ATM machines, according to deputy commissioner of police Sagar Singh Kalsi.
Police identified the suspects as 27-year-old Farman, a resident of Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh, 58-year-old Mohammad Dara from Karawal Nagar, and 32-year-old Wasim from Nand Nagri, also 25-year-old Imran and 20-year-old Arman from Usmanpur. They also claimed to have recovered 17 number plates from various vehicles, 15 screwdrivers, one toolbox, 10 pliers, one wire cutter, and a hammer from the suspects.