HYDERABAD: The Shamshabad Zone Task Force, in coordination with Rajasthan police, arrested a 34-year-old man, Rashid, in connection with the theft of Rs 7.40 lakh from a bank ATM in Satamrai, Shamshabad. Four other suspects are absconding.
According to the police, the theft came to light in the early hours of October 6, when the private bank’s command centre in Mumbai alerted its Satamrai branch about suspicious activity at around 3.28 am. Bank officials found that the offenders had cut open the cash-dispensing machine with a gas cutter, sprayed paint on CCTV cameras and severed the alarm cable before stealing Rs 7.40 lakh.
About a month before the theft, Rashid and another accused, Shamshuddin, allegedly travelled to Hyderabad in a truck carrying gas-cutting equipment and spray paint, which they hid in bushes in Pahadishareef for later use, police said.
Rashid later returned with three associates — Sohail, Faizan and Rehan — and retrieved the equipment. The group allegedly stole a motorcycle and then a car to facilitate the crime. After identifying the ATM in Shamshabad, the accused allegedly stole the cash and fled towards Patancheru, where they abandoned the car. They then travelled to Kota before splitting up and returning to their respective locations, police said.