Balasore: With the arrest of five persons hailing from Haryana, the police in Odisha’s Balasore on Monday claimed to have busted an inter-state gang of criminals involved in looting cash from Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
While five members of the gang were arrested from Bhubaneswar, efforts are one another person who is still absconding, according to Balasore Superintendent of Police Sagarika Nath.
The gang looted cash by cutting ATM machines in Soro & Khaira areas. Rs 6.13 lakh in cash, one pistol, four live cartridges, gas cutter seized from the possession of accused persons.
The gang members had looted Rs 10 lakh from a Punjab National Bank (PNB) ATM at Mangalpur and Rs 5 lakh from an Axis Bank ATM at Tudigadia market in Khaira on the intervening night of January 11-12 by cutting open the machine with gas cutters.
After committing the crime, the criminals had escaped by brandishing pistol at various check points which were activated after the ATM loot incidents. While being chased by the police, the criminals had to abandon their car midway.
From CCTV footage and pieces of evidence from the car, police started an investigation by constituting special teams, the SP said.
Stating that the gang members belong to Haryana, the SP said that some of them are expert cutters and they used to travel by air, train, and road. Before targeting any ATM, they used to conduct thorough survey.
The gang is involved in similar ATM thefts in other states, including Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. The car that was abandoned by the gang members seemed to have been stolen in Delhi. It bears the registration number of Jharkhand. Further investigation is in progress.
