CHENNAI: Three ATM heists in Chennai’s western suburbs and Tiruvallur in less than a fortnight have exposed security loopholes. In all three cases, there was no security guard, and the perpetrators disabled CCTV cameras before targeting the machines, police said.
The first was reported at an ICICI Bank ATM in Somangalam on August 25. The perpetrators allegedly used a gas cutter to break open the machine and escaped with Rs 9 lakh.
Two days later, an Axis Bank ATM at Gummidipoondi was targeted. Police said Rs 11 lakh was stolen from the Rs 12 lakh loaded into the machine two days earlier. The perpetrators sprayed paint on the cameras before cutting open the cash compartment.
On September 5, a Hitachi-operated ATM was removed from Mettukandigai in Koodapakkam near Vellavedu in Tiruvallur district. Police are yet to ascertain whether the incident is linked to the other two cases. Cash inside the machine is yet to be reconciled.
Nearly 12 days later, Avadi police arrested three persons from West Bengal over an ATM theft case. The suspects stole Rs 12 lakh. Police recovered Rs 1.72 lakh and are searching for other gang members.
A Tambaram police official told TNIE that there are two cameras in an ATM kiosk, an internal and a CCTV camera. “If there is any activity or tampering inside the ATM chest, it triggers an alert at the bank’s control room,” he said.
However, in the Somangalam case, the alert reached the bank’s control room in Mumbai and was then relayed to Tamil Nadu police without the exact location of the ATM. This gave the perpetrators time to flee before police located the machine.
The official said deploying guards at every ATM was not feasible, but suggested shutting down non-secured kiosks at night and routing alerts directly to police.
The investigation has pointed to an organised gang. On September 1, a Tambaram special team arrested O Pawan Kumar, 28, from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Somangalam case after Jaipur police detained him in another case.
Police suspect the Somangalam and Gummidipoondi break-ins were carried out by two teams of the same gang, with links to Haryana’s Nuh and Palwal districts.
“The three offences were committed by a gang from Palwal district. Nuh and Palwal districts of Haryana are considered vulnerable to such crimes,” the official said.
CP Krishnan, vice-president of the Bank Employees’ Federation of India, Tamil Nadu, said outsourcing ATM security had created accountability gaps, with many locations lacking guards or security systems.
The NCRB’s Crime in India 2024 report recorded 856 ATM thefts, including 222 burglaries, involving losses of Rs 15.9 crore. It does not provide state-wise figures.
TNIE emailed Axis Bank, ICICI Bank and Hitachi Payment Services seeking their response on security measures at the ATMs and the recent incidents. There has been no response from the companies even after five days.
Timeline of theft
August 27: Axis Bank ATM at Gummidipoondi was targeted. The accused allegedly sprayed paint on the cameras before cutting open the cash compartment and escaped with Rs 11 lakh
August 25: ICICI Bank ATM in Somangalam was broke open using a gas cutter and around Rs 9 lakh was stolen
September 1: A Tambaram special team arrested O Pawan Kumar from Uttar Pradesh in connection with the Somangalam case
September 5: An entire Hitachi-operated ATM was removed from Koodapakkam near Vellavedu. The cash inside the machine is yet to be reconciled
September 16: Avadi Police arrested three persons from West Bengal in connection with September 5 heist. Around Rs 12 lakh was allegedly stolen, of which Rs 1.72 lakh was recovered. Police are searching for other members of the gang
