Balasore: Unidentified robbers looted a huge amount of cash from a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM located in Soro area of Odisha’s Balasore district.
As per preliminary information, the robbery took place late on Sunday at the ATM located near Bagudi-Jodamba Chhak under the jurisdiction of Soro police station of the district.
Sources said the miscreants first disabled the CCTV system by spraying black paint on the camera lenses and then cut the ATM shutter lock. They reportedly used gas-cutting equipment to access the ATM’s cash chamber.
While police have confirmed that the ATM was recently replenished with cash on Sunday evening, the exact amount of money looted was yet to be verified. Bank officials are likely to conduct a full audit to ascertain the loss.
The incident came to light after the building owner, alerted by a call from the bank’s automated system, stepped out and noticed suspicious activity. However, by the time he raised an alarm, the robbers had already fled the scene.
On being informed, a team from Soro police station visited the site and launched an investigation into the incident.
Forensic experts were examining the ATM enclosure for any physical evidence, including tool marks and fingerprints. Senior police officials are also reviewing CCTV footage from nearby shops and traffic intersections in a bid to trace the movement of the suspects.
