ATM looted near Chennai after burglars cut open cash chamber with welding machine

CHENNAI: A group of robbers used a welding machine to break open an ICICI Bank ATM near Somangalam in the early hours of Tuesday and escaped with over Rs 10 lakh in cash, despite police receiving an alert while the robbery was underway.

An ICICI bank ATM is located near Puthupedu village along the Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur Road, within the limits of Somangalam Police Station.

Police said that the robbers arrived in a vehicle at around 2.45 am and began cutting the ATM using a welding machine. After accessing the cash compartment, they stole the money and fled from the spot in the same vehicle. The ATM did not have a security guard. Instead, it was monitored through CCTV cameras connected via the internet the bank’s central control room in Mumbai.

When the robbers began tampering with the ATM, an alarm was triggered at the control room, which immediately alerted the Tamil Nadu Police, who informed the Somangalam police.

However, the police were not given the exact location of the ATM. As a result, the night-duty patrol searched several ATMs in the area before reaching the targeted ATM. By then, the robbers had completed the operation and escaped with the cash.

Senior police officials and bank representatives rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation. The ATM had been replenished with cash only on Monday evening. Hence, the stolen amount is suspected to be more than Rs 10 lakh.

The robbers have sprayed a chemical substance on the CCTV cameras to prevent their faces from being recorded. However, police are examining the available footage with the help of technical and forensic teams to identify the suspects.

Preliminary CCTV footage shows one person entering the ATM while covering his face with a shawl. Police are investigating whether other members remained outside to keep watch or whether only one person entered the ATM during the robbery. The possibility of the involvement of a gang from northern India, including the suspected Bavariya gang, is also considered.

Special teams from the Tambaram City Police Commissionerate have intensified the investigation.