No security guards deployed at various ATMs in Bathinda

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 9

Despite a rise in the incidents of ATM robbery at various places, officials of various banks have not bothered to deploy security guards outside various ATMs.

After the incident of attempt to loot an ATM of Oriental Bank of Commerce on the Bibi Wala road, Bathinda, on December 3, the police conducted security review of various ATMs and it was mentioned by the police that most of the ATMs in the city and rural areas had no security guards.

It was also mentioned that only 10 to 15 per cent ATMs operated in the city where security guards had been deployed, but it was also found that these ATMs were situated in the branches of banks.

A police official, requesting anonymity, said that bank officials’ behaviour showed that the responsibility of security was only of the police. It was discussed many times by police officials with bankers to deploy security guards, but they took it lightly.

It was also found that no security guard had been deployed even during the daytime at various ATMs.

According to sources, when such kinds of incidents of attempt to loot ATMs happened, the police beefed up security near ATMs for some time, but after a few days the situation turned same.

On the other hand, the police failed to find those accused of recent attempt to loot ATMs and failed to make security arrangements for ATMs.

In the last two years, various incidents of attempt to loot ATMs took place.

Besides, miscreants made a bid to break an ATM belonging to the State Bank of India (SBI) and steal cash from the machine at Lehra Mohabbat a few months ago. In another incident, thieves uprooted an ATM installed at the State Bank of Patiala (SBoP) branch located at College Road.

While the Rama police held two accused in bid to loot an ATM at Rama.

Naveen Singla, SSP, Bathinda, said they had raised the issue many times in meeting with bank officials and it was their job to deploy the security guards. If we found something sensitive point on night or fog season , we could not allow to open that ATM, he added