Guard killed in gang’s failed bid to rob ATM

Guard killed in gang’s failed bid to rob ATM

In a daring pre-dawn incident, a gang barged into a State Bank of India ATM centre on Madurai-Dindgul highway in Vadipatti in the wee hours of Thursday and killed the guard, before attempting to break open the machine.

The deceased identified as Panneer Selvam (50), a Dalit of Thathampatti Colony near Vadipatti, was employed as a guard at the ATM centre for over a year.

Three teams, led by Samayanallur DSP Kantha Swaroopan, have been formed to nab the culprits. A sniffer dog and fingerprint experts were pressed into action.

Preliminary investigations revealed that a masked gang first attacked the security guard with logs and rods. They then tried to open the cash locker after tampering with the machine. As they were unable to break open, they damaged it and smashed the CCTV cameras before leaving the spot.

Police said the crime was committed after 1.45 am on Thursday, as nothing was amiss when a team of cops on night rounds visited the spot and had signed the beat book and had even spoken to the guard.

Some vital clues have been obtained, including a 30-second CCTV clip of the two robbers’ masked faces and a two-second clip recorded when they tried to damage the lens of the camera. Footage has also been received from a CCTV camera on the ceiling of the ATM centre.

The crime scene was inspected by DIG Bala Naga Devi, SP V Balakrishnan and bank officials. Although bank officials were unable to confirm whether cash was robbed or not, cops said no money was robbed as the locker was intact.

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The New Indian Express
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