Siliguri ATM robbery case: Three members of Mewat gang from Haryana arrested

Siliguri: The Anti-Crime wing of Pradhannagar Police have arrested three members of a notorious gang named ‘Mewat Gang’ from Haryana in connection with the daring ATM robbery that took place in the Champasari area of Siliguri. Police have successfully recovered over Rs 3 lakh from the accused.

The arrested individuals have been identified as Mohammad Israel, Javed Khan and Mohammad Khurshid, all residents of Haryana. According to police sources, the gang is linked to the infamous Mewat gang, which has a history of involvement in theft, ATM robbery and looting across various parts of the country.

The police launched an extensive investigation immediately after the robbery, which occurred in the early hours of June 19. Initially, the suspects split up, with some fleeing back to Haryana while others hiding in and around Siliguri. Acting on intelligence gathered from multiple sources, the police first arrested Mohammad Khurshid from the Nuh district in Haryana. His interrogation led officers to the whereabouts of the remaining two gang members, who were apprehended from Salugara Shantinagar area under Bhaktinagar Police Station in Siliguri on Monday night. Bishwa Chand Thakur, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), said: “First, Khurshid was arrested from Haryana and was brought to Siliguri on transit remand after being presented in court. The remaining accused were arrested from Siliguri. Investigations are still underway to determine their movements within Siliguri and nearby areas.”

The miscreants used gas cutters to break into both the cash withdrawal and deposit machines and looted approximately Rs 10.5 lakh in cash before fleeing in a white car with a changed number plate. A girl living opposite the ATM captured the incident on her mobile camera, while the CCTV inside the ATM was rendered useless after the robbers sprayed it with black paint.

Police have been tracking the accused since the day of the incident using CCTV footage from nearby areas and various intelligence inputs. The three arrested were produced in Siliguri court on Tuesday and have been remanded to 10 days of police custody for further investigation.

BD Sarkar, Inspector in-charge of Pradhannagar Police Station, expressed his frustration regarding the bank’s conduct. “It took a lot of time to track down the accused due to the lack of cooperation from the bank. We even had to forcibly lodge an FIR.

The bank’s non-cooperation severely hampered the investigation,” he stated.