VIJAYAWADA: Around Rs 7.53 lakh cash amount was stolen by unidentified miscreants from an ATM cash box in a private bank at Sitara junction under Bhavanipuram police station limits on Wednesday night.
A complaint was lodged by the Manager of Secure Value Limited, Dasari Koteswara Rao, where the company looks after the maintenance and security of the ATM belonging to Axis bank. Upon receiving the complaint, Bhavanipuram police registered a case under section 180 of IPC and an investigation is underway.
According to Bhavanipuram Inspector Md Umar, the incident is suspected to happen on Tuesday night and came to light on Wednesday morning when the neighbours noticed the back panel of the ATM was opened. The neighbours found that one of the cash boxes was missing from the chest.
They immediately informed the bank officials and the maintenance firm who rushed to the spot and collected CCTV camera footage from the ATM. In the complaint lodged by the manager Koteswara Rao, he reported that K Phanindra and Ch Bhanu were appointed as custodians for the ATM and their duties included maintenance as well as refilling the cash inside the chest.
He also stated that K Phanindra inspected the ATM thrice in the month of February. “We are identifying the persons who last visited the ATM by watching CCTV camera footage,” said the Bhavanipuram inspector Umar. Police have also suspected the role of the company’s staff, where the key for the ATM chest is only with the custodians K Phanindra and Ch Bhanu.