Punjab Police successfully cracked a sophisticated ATM theft case in Bathinda, arresting four men who allegedly looted over Rs 3 lakh from a bank ATM in Nehru Nagar earlier this month.
The unusual method used by the accused left police baffled — they installed a spy camera to record the pattern code of the ATM’s inner cash box, enabling them to access and steal the cash.
The arrested suspects have been identified as Jasvir Singh Sukhdev Singh (29) of Lehra Bega Road, Bucho Mandi; Lakhvir Singh Baldev Singh (31); Gurpreet Singh Karnail Singh (27) of Verma Basti; and Rachpal Singh Baldev Singh (37). All hail from North India.
Police recovered a Skoda car worth Rs 3 lakh, Rs 20,000 in cash, three mobile phones, the spy camera, a Wi-Fi dongle, SIM cards, a memory card reader, an OTG device, and forged ATM keys from the accused.
The theft occurred on June 7 between 6:23 am and 6:28 am, when four unidentified men entered the ATM kiosk and opened the machine using fake access tools and technical expertise.
Following a complaint from the bank, a case was registered at the Nehru Nagar police station, and a parallel FIR was filed at Ghatkopar police station for related offenses. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 6) Sameer Shaikh confirmed the arrests, with the investigation led by officer Shivaji Pavade.
The accused remain in police custody as the investigation continues, with authorities probing possible involvement in other ATM thefts across India.
