Rs 14 lakh looted from SBI ATM in Ladhewali

Panic gripped Ladhewali market this morning after traders learnt that four unidentified men had looted Rs 14 lakh cash from the ATM of the State Bank of India (SBI).

The looters came in a Swift car carrying gas cutter machines past midnight. They first black sprayed the CCTV cameras installed inside the ATM and worked to break open the cash shelves. They spent over an hour and fled in the car with the cash.

The shopkeepers in the market area said the bank staff had not deployed any security guard, at least for the past two years at the ATM. The bank staff had pulled down shutters of the ATM, locked it from outside and left the previous evening. This morning as the staff returned, they found the ATM locks open. When the staff went inside, they found the ATM machine cut open and partly burnt with soot all over. The police were immediately informed.

Police teams, including ADCP-1 Akarshi Jain, ACP Amandeep Singh and Rama Mandi SHO Manjinder Singh, reached the spot. The police collected all evidence, including CCTV footages. Forensic teams also reached the spot to get more clues.

Jain said, “We are working on leads that we have so far got from the site. The identity of the accused is yet to be established. It may take some time to crack the case.”