KOCHI/THRISSUR: Amid reports seven members of a gang involved in looting Rs 35 lakh from ATMs in Irumpanam and Chalakudy early on Friday have fled to Secunderabad, a police team has left for Telangana.
Though CCTV footage from the ATMs suggested three men were involved, the police suspect the role of more people in the theft and planning of the entire incident. Evidence such as fingerprints and images have been collected. Using information from mobile phone tower locations along the Kottayam-Chalakudy route, the sleuths are looking to trace the suspects’ phone numbers.
After examining the vehicle abandoned by the suspects at Chalakudy High School ground and checking CCTV visuals, the sleuths are of the view that a seven-member gang from North India had carried out the ATM thefts.
The cops received statements from railway officers with Chalakudy Railway Station the suspects bought tickets for Thrissur and boarded a Guruvayur-bound train. The pick-up van used for the thefts was found abandoned hardly 1 km away from the railway station. It was stolen from Manippuzha in Kottayam.
According to Chalakudy DySP C R Santhosh, “It is the local police who reported the presence of seven men who looked similar to those found on the CCTV footage. The forensic reports are yet to arrive. Until then, the probe is focusing on mobile phones. The Cyber Cell is a part of the probe in identifying communication used by the gang.”