Mice plunder ATM in Assam by chewing up notes worth Rs.12.38 lakh

The ATM of the State Bank of India (SBI) had been out of order since May 20 and the invasion came to light when the authorities tried to check the machine for repairs.

GUWAHATI: Mice plundered a bank ATM in Assam by chewing up currency notes worth Rs.12.38 lakh into pieces.

The incident was reported from Upper Assam’s Tinsukia town. The ATM of the State Bank of India (SBI) had been out of order since May 20 and the invasion came to light when the authorities tried to check the machine for repairs. Hundreds of currency notes of Rs.500 and Rs.2000 denominations were found to be torn into bits.

On May 19, Global Business Solutions, a Guwahati-based financial company engaged in depositing cash in ATMs, deposited Rs.29.48 lakh in the ATM at Laipuli area of the commercial town. However, as the machine developed a technical snag, it was shut down the next day.

To get the machine repaired, the authorities had brought in ATM engineers from Kolkata and they found the currency notes shredded into pieces on Sunday when they visited the kiosk. It was learnt that the SBI authorities lodged an FIR with the police.

The locals said the destruction could have been averted had the authorities not delayed in repairing the ATM.