Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Thieves cut an Axis Bank ATM centre in Bakwalnagar opposite the Garware factory on Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar-Ahilyanagar road on Saturday night with a gas cutter and took away a tray with cash.
Police feel that there may be Rs 14 lakh cash in this ATM. A case was registered at Waluj police station on the complaint of Avinash Mhaske, channel executive of Hitachi Payment Services.
The bank officers came to know about suspicious activities at this ATM at around 1.44 am. The bank informed the local police. When the police rushed to the spot, the ATM was on fire.
The police brought the fire in the ATM under control. When the CCTV camers in the ATM and the surrounding area were checked, three to four youths aged between 20 and 22 years were seen inside the ATM, covering their faces with a handkerchief and spraying black spray on the CCTV.
A suspicious car of white XUV 300 without a number plate, was seen heading towards Pune in the CCTV footage at the Limbejalgaon toll plaza.
Crime Branch PSI Sandeep Shinde, Police Constable Sanjay Mule, Prakash Chavan and Waluj Police Station Police Inspector Rajendra Sahane inspected the scene and collected the CCTV footage from the area.
Police started further investigation.
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ATM in busy place, but no one knows
This Axis Bank ATM is on the main road of Bakwalnagar. Even though citizens are living above the ATM, the ATM buzzer did not ring or the citizens did not hear any sound, which raises doubts about the security of the ATM.
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Banks focus on insurance
Most of the banks in Waluj and MIDC areas do not have security guards, buzzers, or other security at their ATMs.
Banks just install CCTV cameras and take out insurance. “Banks become safe by filing claims after the theft, but such incidents are putting extra pressure on the police,” said Police Inspector Rajendra Sahane.
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ATM broken using a gas cutter
The company responsible for the security of the ATM said that since there is a hospital next to the ATM, we have turned off the alarm. If the alarm had been on, the citizens of the area would have been alerted about this and the theft attempt would have been foiled. It seems that the security of the most of the ATMs is maintain in this way.
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ATMs also broken in Dhule style
An incident of breaking an ATM using a gas cutter in the same way came to light in Dhule. The police have expressed suspicion that the criminals in the Dhule case broke into the ATM in Bakwalnagar, and the police have started an investigation in that direction.