Belagavi, 2 Dec

Police in Belagavi district are searching for three unidentified men who allegedly stole an entire ATM from an unattended kiosk along National Highway 48 near Hosavontamuri village. The theft took place late Monday and was captured on CCTV.

According to police, the suspects arrived with a pushcart, lifted the ATM from the closed kiosk and loaded it onto the cart before fleeing. Before breaking into the machine, the thieves sprayed black paint on the sensors and CCTV lenses to prevent alarms and video recording. 

They then forcibly removed the ATM unit from its base.

Footage later showed two of them returning with the empty cart, indicating they had abandoned the machine nearby.

A senior police officer said preliminary inquiries revealed the ATM contained a little over Rs 1 lakh. The suspects reportedly dumped the machine a few metres away after failing to break it open. It was subsequently recovered with all cash intact.

The officer said the kiosk had been shut for about 15 days after a new ATM was opened roughly 200 metres away. With the old kiosk lacking a guard, operational sensors and even a staircase, the men were able to remove the machine without obstruction.

A case has been registered, and efforts are on to identify the suspects through CCTV footage and local intelligence inputs, police added. 

Police believe this could be the work of an organised gang operating across districts.