In the early hours of Tuesday, a gang arrived at an ICICI Bank ATM on the Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur Highway near Pudhupedu village, near Somangalam. They used a welding machine to cut open the ATM and escaped with around 10 lakh in cash.

Although the robbery occurred in Kancheepuram district, the area falls under the Tambaram City Police Commissionerate. Following the incident, the Tambaram police registered a case and formed more than three special teams to trace the robbers. They found that the gang had arrived in a black car and removed its original registration plate, took the number plate from another car parked along the roadside and fitted it onto their vehicle before fleeing the spot.

The investigation gained a breakthrough when the black car was spotted in Telangana on Tuesday evening. Later that night, police at a toll plaza attempted to stop the car for inspection. But, the men pointed a handgun and threatened the police before speeding away.

The toll plaza staff chased the vehicle in another car for a considerable distance, when the suspects abandoned it in a forested area and fled. A Tambaram special police team reached the location and seized the abandoned black car. A number plate and other forensic clues have been collected for examination.

Police suspected the black car itself may have been stolen, and that the gang may have used another stolen vehicle to go to Mumbai. Additional teams have been deployed to Mumbai and other areas as the search continues.