Police in Ludhiana have connected a daring weekend robbery at an automated teller machine (ATM) to a series of similar cash-vending machine heists in the neighboring districts of Kapurthala and Jalandhar. Investigators suspect a single gang, fleeing in a distinctive white Swift car, is behind these crimes, targeting unguarded kiosks with industrial gas cutters.
The Ludhiana Heist: A Detailed Look
In the early hours of Saturday, a group of three to four unidentified men carried out a brazen robbery at an Axis Bank ATM kiosk located in the Kailash Nagar area of Ludhiana. Taking advantage of a critical security failure, the robbers found the kiosk's shutter unlocked, granting them easy entry into the booth, which notably lacked any internal or external closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
Once inside, the perpetrators used a gas cutter to forcibly rip out the cash tray from the machine. They then made their escape, with their vehicle reportedly headed in the direction of Tarn Taran. While the exact amount of loot remains officially unconfirmed, local sources indicated that the ATM had been restocked with cash just two days before the incident, suggesting a potentially significant haul.
A Spree of Similar Crimes Across Punjab
Ludhiana Police Commissioner, Swapan Sharma, revealed that the modus operandi points to the same criminal group. He stated that shortly after the Ludhiana incident, the gang targeted a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM in Phagwara, Kapurthala district. There, they employed the identical tactic on another guardless kiosk.
Furthermore, Commissioner Sharma linked these crimes to an ATM theft that occurred in Jalandhar approximately ten days earlier, which fits the same pattern. This connection suggests the gang is operating across a wider region within Punjab, systematically exploiting poor security at these cash points.
Investigation and Security Failures Exposed
"The accused escaped toward Tarn Taran, and our police teams are actively tracking them," stated Commissioner Sharma. He added that the police are also probing a potential connection to recently released jail inmates, suspecting some of the crew members may have a history of incarceration. More concrete details are expected to follow any arrests.
Following the robbery, an First Information Report (FIR) was registered at the Jodhewal police station. The case has been filed under sections 331(4) for house trespass and 305 for theft of the newly implemented Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Jodhewal Station House Officer (SHO), Inspector Jasvir Singh, highlighted the glaring security lapses that facilitated the crime. He pointed out that the targeted Kailash Nagar kiosk had no internal or external CCTV surveillance, relying solely on the camera built into the ATM itself, which was the only functional recording device. Footage from cameras in the vicinity merely captured the gang's getaway car, the now-notorious white Swift, providing a crucial but limited clue.
The investigation continues as police across districts collaborate to apprehend the gang responsible for this worrying spree of ATM robberies in Punjab.
