ATM robbery cracked; 4 arrested in Rs 24L heist

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Parappa's Agrahara police have apprehended four individuals involved in a robbery where Rs 24 lakh was illicitly withdrawn using the off lock option at an ATM machine.

The arrested, Arul, Nadeem, Mahesh and Sriram, are all from Tamil Nadu. The incident took place on June 5 when the accused managed to withdraw the substantial sum from an ATM machine belonging to a private bank in Agrahar.

Investigations revealed that Dochi, another accomplice, remains at large. All four arrested individuals were well aware of the technical flaw allowing the withdrawal of money using the off lock option on the ATM.

Arul, the prime suspect, worked as a custodian for a CMS agency and devised a plan to steal money from ATMs for easy gains.

Nadeem, Sriram and Mahesh Adhivar, who had prior experience working with the agency, were included in the scheme. Arul, who visited the ATM centre of a private bank, executed the pre-arranged plan by selecting the off lock option.

On June 5, Mahesh and Sriram, wearing helmets to conceal their identities, withdrew Rs 24 lakh from the ATM kiosk. Their act was captured on CCTV footage.

Subsequently, based on a complaint filed by the bank staff regarding the money theft, the police arrested Arul and the other three individuals. A sum of Rs 20 lakh was recovered and confiscated as evidence.