NAMAKKAL: The Tiruchengode Additional District Sessions Court on Tuesday sentenced six men from North India to varying jail terms for their involvement in a Rs 67 lakh ATM theft case reported in Kerala last year.
Judge Malathi sentenced Irfan Sakkur and Azhar Ali to 10 years’ imprisonment and fined them Rs 5,000 each. Four others—Shafeer Khan, Saukeen, Mohammed Ikram and Mubarak—received five years’ imprisonment and a Rs 3,000 fine each. They were later lodged in Salem Central Prison.
The gang was sentenced amid tight security due to the case's high-profile nature. Tiruchengode Deputy Superintendent of Police Krishnan and Inspectors Valarmathi and Sangeetha oversaw security at the court during the verdict’s pronouncement.
According to police, the gang broke into three ATM centres in Thrissur, Kerala, on September 27, 2023, and stole about Rs 67 lakh. Acting on a tip-off, a special team from Komarapalayam police conducted vehicle checks near Veppadai in Namakkal district and intercepted a container lorry suspected of carrying the gang.
When police attempted to stop the vehicle, it rammed into two motorbikes and a car while trying to escape. Officers pursued and intercepted the lorry, arresting five men from Haryana.
The driver, identified as Joomanuddin, was taken for inquiry but allegedly attacked a sub-inspector with an iron hook and tried to flee. He was shot dead by Inspector Thavamani in self-defence, police said. Another accused, Azhar Ali, sustained gunshot injuries in the leg during the chase.
Investigations revealed that the gang, known as the ‘Mewat robbers’, had targeted ATMs across six states—Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala and Odisha.