ATM Robbery at Two Locations in Karimnagar

Karimnagar: An inter-state gang allegedly targeted two ATMs in the outskirts of Karimnagar during the early hours of Sunday, cutting open the machines with gas cutters and escaping with a substantial amount of cash.

According to police, the first incident occurred at around 3.35 am at the State Bank of India (SBI) ATM in Durshed village under Karimnagar Rural police station limits. The suspects arrived in a Scorpio vehicle, covered their faces and entered the ATM centre. A similar robbery was reported at an ATM in Thimmapur under LMD police station limits around the same time.

Police suspect that the gang had carefully planned the operation. After entering the ATM centres, the suspects sprayed the CCTV cameras to block visibility and cut the alarm system and key camera cables. They then used gas cutters to open the ATM machines and remove the cash from the boxes.

CCTV footage reportedly showed one of the suspects dressed as a woman.

Preliminary evidence indicates that the suspects parked their vehicle outside the Durshed ATM, entered the centre and completed the operation within eight minutes before fleeing the spot.

Around 10 minutes after the alarm system was disconnected, the SBI Central Security Room in Delhi alerted local police. However, the suspects had already escaped by the time police teams reached the location.

Investigators are examining whether a technical issue affected the alarm system or whether there was a delay in the response from the security team.

As Ganesh Navaratri celebrations are underway, police suspect that the gang may have conducted reconnaissance and chosen the early morning hours when public movement reduced. They are investigating whether both robberies were carried out by the same gang or by two groups operating simultaneously.

Clues teams and dog squads inspected both crime scenes and collected evidence as the investigation continued.

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