In the early hours of 18 August 2024, two State Bank of India (SBI) ATMs in Visakhapatnam were robbed of approximately Rs 33 lakh by an unidentified gang. The incidents occurred in the Pendurthi and Tagarapuvalasa. An extensive police investigation followed the series of ATM thefts in Visakhapatnam.
According to the police, the first robbery took place at around 3:00 am at an SBI ATM near Nataraj Cinema Hall, which is on the Pendurthi-Anandapuram road. The assailants, who arrived in a car, wore face masks and gloves to conceal their identities. After disabling the CCTV cameras by spraying them with black paint, they cut the power supply to the ATM. Using a gas cutter, they broke into the cash cabin and stole Rs 19.5 lakh. The thieves also took the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) box, which stores the CCTV footage, to avoid leaving any evidence.
The theft was discovered when SBI’s command control team noticed a malfunction in the CCTV system at the Pendurthi ATM during a routine check. Upon investigation, the staff found that the ATM had been robbed and immediately informed the police. Senior officers, including Crime DCP Venkataratnam, ACP Shyamala Rao, CI Srinivasa Rao, and SI Suribabu, quickly arrived at the scene to conduct a thorough investigation.
Another SBI ATM near Avanti Engineering College, close to the National Highway in Tagarapuvalasa, was also robbed. The looters reportedly cut the cables connecting to the CCTV camera and stole Rs 14.40 lakh from the ATM. The theft was reported by Kolusu Paidaraju, an executive of Hitachi Channel, the operator of the ATM.
Authorities suspect that an inter-state gang, consisting of about five people, is responsible for the ATM thefts in Visakhapatnam. Special police teams have been formed to track down the culprits, and CCTV footage from nearby buildings is being reviewed to gather more information on the suspects. City Police Commissioner Shankabrata Bagchi also inspected the area of theft. The Clues team collected fingerprints and other evidence.
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