Miscreants break ATM, loot cash in Behala

Miscreants looted thousands of rupees by breaking open an ATM machine at the heart of the city on late Saturday night.

The incident had triggered tension at Behala’s Parnashree area on Sunday morning after some local people who stepped into the ATM kiosk found that a portion of the machine has been lying broken.

They drew the attention of the local people who in turn informed the police station. The ATM kiosk was unguarded as a result of which the miscreants had a free run.

Senior police officers reached the spot and after getting the information, senior bank officials also rushed to the spot and found that the miscreants broke the ATM machine and looted cash.

The bank authorities are yet to confirm the exact amount that has been looted by the miscreants. The bank officials found that the miscreants looted the entire sum of money that was available in the ATM at the time of the incident.

After starting an investigation into the incident, the police suspect that some dreaded criminals might have been involved.

The police were sent into tizzy by the way that the crime was committed. A senior police officer said that it was never easy to break the ATM machines as they are well protected.

The way the criminals broke open the machine suggests that the miscreants have committed such crimes earlier as well. Few months ago, many such incidents occurred in the Northern parts of the city.

After starting an investigation, the Kolkata Police arrested some people in this connection following which the incidents of looting ATM machines stopped for a while.

It may be mentioned that in last few months, miscreants had looted cash by breaking open ATM machines in some districts as well.

According to bank officials, it is never easy for an ordinary criminal to know where the currencies are kept. Only the criminals who are involved in such incidents can have a specific knowledge about the matter.

Police are also investigating if the bank officials had heard any emergency alarm when the ATM machine was broken. In normal cases, if the criminal breaks open an ATM machine to loot cash, the nearby bank Branch officials get some sort of emergency alarm.

Police are also investigating if the miscreants committed the crime without an alarm bell being triggered. Senior bank officials have also started a separate investigation into the matter.

Police are trying to go through the CCTV footage to identify the miscreants. A detailed probe has been initiated.