Pradhan Nagar Police have successfully cracked the recent ATM robbery in Siliguri’s Champasari area, arresting three individuals with ties to the infamous Mewat gang from Haryana’s Nuh district.
The robbery occurred in the early hours of June 18, when four masked men in a white car targeted two private bank ATMs at Champasari More, using a gas cutter to loot nearly Rs10.5 lakh between 2:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.
This heist closely followed a similar Rs45 lakh ATM robbery in Maynaguri, Jalpaiguri, just five days earlier. During that investigation, four suspects were arrested and Rs15 lakh recovered. Police suspected both crimes were linked to different factions of the same inter-state gang.
Based on intelligence inputs and technical surveillance, a police team traveled to Haryana, where Mohammad Khurshid was arrested. His confession led to the arrest of Mohammad Israel and Javed Khan from the Bhakti Nagar area of Siliguri. Authorities also recovered Rs3 lakh of the stolen cash.
In a press briefing, Siliguri DCP Biswa Chand Thakur confirmed the arrests. The accused will be produced in Siliguri court and taken into police remand for further interrogation.
The DCP stated that the Mewat gang is notorious for gas-cutter ATM robberies, and members receive specialized training for executing such crimes. The breakthrough came from Call Detail Record (CDR) tracking, mobile tower location analysis, and secret informants. The investigation continues to identify other operatives and recover remaining funds.
