Two held for ATM cash theft of Rs 51L

New Delhi: Delhi Police have successfully apprehended two individuals involved in a daring cash theft of Rs 51 lakh from ATMs, officials said on Tuesday.

The accused were identified as Vivek Kumar (29), a resident of Delhi’s Badarpur area and Shahil Raza Ansari, a native of UP’s Mau district. Both were employees of a company responsible for loading cash and maintaining ATM kiosks. The police have recovered Rs 10.2 lakh of the stolen cash.

Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) South Delhi said that the incident came to light when a PCR call was received by the Neb Sarai police station on the night of July 6-7.

The caller reported that cash had gone missing from an ATM kiosk located on Shani Bazar Road in Sangam Vihar. Subsequently, it was discovered that a total of Rs 51 lakh was missing from three ATMs maintained by the company.

Later, a case was registered at the Neb Sarai police station under sections 381/409/34 of the Indian Penal Code.

The South District police swiftly formed a team led by SHO Neb Sarai and initiated a thorough investigation. CCTV footage from the affected ATMs was analysed, and three employees, including Vivek Kumar and Shahil Raza Ansari, were identified as withdrawing cash from the machines. Further inquiries revealed that Vivek had been missing for three days, and Shahil was on leave during the time of the theft, Chowdhary mentioned.

Raiding the residences of the accused, the police found them absconding. Through technical analysis, it was discovered that Vivek had changed multiple SIM cards and mobile phones in an attempt to evade capture. The police continued their surveillance and eventually located Vivek and Shahil in a rented accommodation in Mitha Pur, Badar Pur. Both were apprehended, leading to the recovery of Rs 10.2 lakh of the stolen cash, Chowdhary said.

During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in the heist. They revealed that as employees of the cash-loading company, they received OTPs (One-Time Passwords) to access the ATM machines whenever cash was loaded or there were dispensing issues.

Exploiting this access, they disconnected the dispenser wire and stole the cash. Efforts are underway to recover the remaining stolen amount and apprehend the third absconding accused, DCP South added.