Chandigarh/Faridabad: In a midnight heist, robbers struck at a Punjab and Sindh Bank ATM in Faridabad district, and looted around Rs 7.20 lakh on Friday night. Two more cases of uprooting and looting ATMs were reported at SGM Nagar and Sector 10 market in the last one month in Faridabad district wherein robbers reportedly decamped with lakhs of rupees.
Talking to The Pioneer, Faridabad DCP (crime) Rajesh Kumar said that three ATM loot cases have been reported from three different places over the last one month. A joint team of Faridabad police and special operations group is working on to crack these three ATM loot cases. As per preliminary examination, there were no security guards at these ATM booths.
To check ATM loot cases in the district, the Station House Officers have been directed to intensify patrolling in their jurisdictional limit while bank officers have been directed to deploy security guards at ATM booths.
Police said that these heists were well-planned and executed by an organised gang. They suspect that an inter-state gang may be behind the robberies. The gang members target isolated ATM centres and draw money from the machine using gas cutter or uprooting the ATMs. The investigation was underway and more details would emerge soon, the police officer said.  
Meanwhile, regarding the incident of Punjab Sindh Bank ATM loot case, police said that the robbers have targeted the Punjab and Sindh Bank ATM located in Tikavali village. There is also a bank branch next to it. The entire theft incident has been captured in the CCTV camera installed in the ATM. Police team secured CCTV footage from Bank officials. As per CCTV footage, a robber was seen using a gas cutter to break open the machine and removed the cash.
According to the police, the two thieves carried out the incident on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday between 1 am to 3 am. Both came by car. One broke the shutter lock and sat in the car and the other one took the gas cutter in and closed the shutter. The two remained in contact with each other via mobile.
On Saturday morning, when the people of the village arrived to withdraw money from the ATM, they saw that the ATM was cut from a gas cutter in the booth inside the shutter. People informed the police and the bank management of the incident. On the complaint of bank manager, police have registered a case against unknown persons.
Regarding previous two cases of uprooting and looting ATMs at two different places in the district, police said that while Rs 22 lakh was stolen from Axis ATM in SGM Nagar, Rs 11 lakh was stolen from an ICICI ATM at Sector 10 market. Robbers had uprooted the ATMs. In these two cases, police are working on several angles to crack the case, said police.
Faridabad DCP crime Rajesh Kumar said that as per investigation report of previous incidents, robbers target an isolated ATM booth and decamp with money. He said in Faridabad district, more than 50 per cent ATM booths are being operated without security despite a directive by senior Police officers to depute guards to prevent ATM loots.