Hyderabad: Burglars prised open an ATM in Choutuppal on Wednesday and decamped with Rs 12.9 lakh in cash.
Choutuppal police registered a case of theft on the basis of a complaint lodged by bank officials and launched a manhunt to nab the accused.
According to officials, unidentified miscreants entered the unmanned SBI ATM on NH-65 near Divis Labs in Choutuppal between 4 am and 5 am on Wednesday. After pulling down the shutter of the ATM, the accused sprayed black paint on the CCTV camera of the ATM and prised open the cash box of the ATM using welding tools. After stealing the cash, they pulled the shutter back down and fled the scene.
The incident came to light on Wednesday night when the staff of the CMS agency, which was entrusted with the task of replenishing the cash, reached the spot.
In the complaint, SBI ATM maintenance in-charge for Choutuppal area Gangadhar Murthy stated that the CMS employee Naveen informed them about the incident. “Naveen opened the shutters with the help of the building owner,” Murthy added.
On learning of the incident, Murthy immediately contacted the staff of Aniketh Amenities, the company entrusted with maintaining the CCTV of the ATM at Choutuppal. Murthy asked the company’s team in Mumbai to review the CCTV footage and alert the police.
Meanwhile, Choutuppal inspector G Manmadha Kumar said that the CCTV camera at the ATM was not functioning. “We are examining the CCTV footage from nearby places to identify the accused,” he added.
Choutuppal police registered a case under sections 331 (4) (lurking house-trespass or housebreaking by night in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment) and 305 (theft in a building) of BNS.