In a daring early morning robbery on Wednesday, a gang used a gas cutter to break open an SBI ATM at Poojary Circle near the Ring Road in Kalaburagi and fled with ₹18 lakh in cash.
According to police, the culprits arrived in a car and first sprayed black paint on the ATM’s CCTV cameras. They then used a gas cutter to slice open the ATM machine and emptied the cash trays.
The heist took place in the absence of security personnel. Police were alerted 45 minutes after the theft. Investigations were hampered initially due to the lack of surrounding CCTV footage and the bank’s delay in providing surveillance data.
Kalaburagi City Police Commissioner Sharanappa S D stated that the digital surveillance system inside the ATM was not backed by any physical security. He confirmed that the ATM had been loaded with cash on Tuesday evening.
Despite limited visuals, forensic teams have managed to collect fingerprints and other scientific evidence from the scene. Authorities have now formed three special investigation teams to track down the suspects.
The bold theft has raised concerns over the absence of robust security measures at standalone ATM kiosks.
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