Auto driver foils early morning attempt to steal cash from ATM in Kondhwa......... PUNE: An alert autorickshaw driver prevented theft of cash from an automated teller machine (ATM) in Kondhwa on early Wednesday. He heard a loud noise coming from the ATM while he was passing by at 4.30am and informed the police patrol team. The Kondhwa police on Thursday arrested two men and detained two minor boys for attempting to steal the cash from the ATM of a private bank in Mithanagar, Kondhwa on early Wednesday. One of the arrested suspects Arjun Sutar (20) of Sangli is a criminal on police records. The other arrested suspect Monukumar Ram Vinodsinh (19) is a waiter in a Kondhwa hotel. The minors also worked in hotels, but one of them would clean the ATMs premises too, senior police inspector Pandharinath Mandhare of the Kondhwa police station said The Pune cantonment court on Thursday sent the men to police custody till October 28. The minors aged 15 and 16 were taken to an observation home. The ATM Development Credit Bank (DCB) had neither a security guard nor a closed circuit television camera, Mandhare said. The banks contractor would often deposit the cash in the minors presence. The idea of stealing the cash struck him and his associates, he added. The arrested men and minors planned to steal the cash and flee to Goa. They took a few days leave from their employers and collected their salaries. Sutar, who knew how to break into houses, had bought a crowbar, Mandhare said. On Wednesday at 4.30am, all four walked into the ATM. They stole four batteries used as a backup for power supply, left, and came back to break open the ATM with the crowbar. An autorickshaw driver going past the ATM heard a loud noise and tipped off a patrol team comprising policemen Ganesh Gaikwad, Sanjay Jadhav and Rajas Shaikh who reached the spot within minutes. All four panicked on seeing them, rushed out and ran in different directions to evade arrest. The patrol chased them and nabbed the 15-year-old boy while the others melted into the darkness, Mandhare added. The autorickshaw driver did not wait. The boy, when questioned, gave the names of his accomplices, following which Sutar and Monukumar were arrested from their hideouts and the other boy was detained. Investigations showed that the private bank had appointed contractors to refill cash and maintain the ATM, but had not fit CCTVs or appointed an armed security guard, police said. The banks staff, on inspecting the ATM, found the cash intact, but did not lodge any police complaint. Meanwhile, Sanjay Gadve, an employee of the banks contractor, who reached the ATM for maintenance saw that the safe had been damaged. He alerted the bank and lodged a complaint of attempt to commit theft under IPC sections 380 (theft) read with 34 (common intention) of the IPC, police said. Gadve told TOI that the bank has installed CCTVs in the ATM kiosk, but there was no security guard. There are 57 banks and 85 ATMs under the Kondhwa police station limits. Mandhare said they have sensitised, held meetings, issued guidelines and letters on security measures to the banks. An inspection of ATMs in Kondhwa area show that CCTVs are not functioning and there are no security guards in many kiosks. We will ask the banks to implement these guidelines, he added.TOI
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 07:57:10 +0000
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