VIJAYAWADA: Nearly two days after miscreants decamped with the ATM of State Bank of India (SBI) from near the Armed Reserve police quarters in Etcherla, police found the stolen ATM machine near Palasa, some 80 km from the place it was stolen.
The chest of the ATM was forcibly opened and nearly Rs 8.6 lakh cash was stolen from it.
On Friday night, unknown persons damaged the CCTV in the SBI ATM centre outside the AR police quarters and took away the machine. Next day morning, people who went to the ATM found the machine missing and lodged a complaint with the police.
Bank officials said of Rs 20 lakh cash replenished in the ATM on July 4 and the last transaction was done at 11 pm on Friday. The cash remained in the ATM at the time of the theft was Rs 8.6 lakh.
During the investigation, the police received information about an abandoned ATM machine in the agriculture fields on the national highway at Laxmipuram Toll Gate in Palasa mandal of the district.
Police and SBI bank officials rushed to the spot and found the chest open and cash stolen from it.