Siliguri: On the heels of the Maybaguri ATM loot, robbers looted two Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) of the State Bank of India (SBI) located in Jyoti Nagar, adjacent to Champasari More in Ward 46 of Siliguri in the wee hours of Thursday.
The incident happened just days after a similar heist in Maynaguri. The gang is suspected to have looted approximately Rs 10.49 lakh from the two machines by cutting them open with a gas cutter before fleeing the scene. That gas cutter was recovered from a bush in Goshaipur area of Bagdogra that same afternoon. Eyewitness accounts suggest that the criminals arrived at the location around 2 am in a white four-wheeler with their faces covered.
A girl living opposite the ATM reportedly noticed suspicious activity from her balcony. Her father, Nimai Shil, told reporters that his daughter saw the miscreants removing something from the ATM while a fire was visibly burning inside. The girl recorded the entire incident on her phone and initially tried to contact the police via the emergency helpline 100 but was unable to get through. She later alerted her father, who, with the help of neighbours, informed the police. By the time officers from Pradhan Nagar Police Station and fire brigade personnel reached the scene, the criminals had escaped. Firefighters quickly brought the blaze under control. The miscreants sprayed black paint on the CCTV which was inside the ATM booth to avoid identification. Vijay Sewa, an official from the bank, stated: “Preliminary estimates suggest about Rs 10. 49 lakh was in the machines. However, a detailed audit is underway to determine the exact amount looted.”
Dilip Barman, the councillor of the ward also rushed to the spot. “The number of outsiders in Siliguri has significantly increased. Many are roaming freely, and it is possible that miscreants from other states are involved in this crime,” he said, demanding swift police action. All police stations in North Bengal Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and North Dinajpur districts have been placed on high alert. A police team from Pradhan Nagar has already been dispatched to Bihar, suspecting the involvement of an inter-state gang.