Chennai cops probing novel method used to steal money from ATMs

CHENNAI: City Police are investigating a novel method of stealing from ATM machines wherein conmen stuck a sticky substance in the mouth of cash dispenser at an ATM near Anna Salai and stole cash worth Rs 28,000 of more than ten customers.

Chintadripet Police have registered a case based on a complaint by G Ramkumar, Manager, Tamil Nadu Mercantile Bank’s Mount Road branch.

According to the complaint, conmen had targeted one of their bank’s ATM on Dams Road, opposite Casino theatre.

Police sources said that a sticky substance was stuck near the cash dispenser and when customers used the machine to withdraw money, the currency note gets struck.

“The customer will be of the assumption that the currency did not get dispensed and will leave. After the customer leaves, the gang comes and cleares the sticky substance and uses a stick to remove the currency,” a police official said.

Usually, when cash do not get dispensed, customers approach the banks and if it was due to a technical fault, the cash gets deposited into the customer’s account in a couple of months.

While the bank officials did not suspect of any wrongdoing initially, they received several complaints from customers on July 17 and July 19 and then checked the CCTV footage of the ATM kiosk and found the conmen entering the kiosk and removing the struck cash from the machine after the customer left the ATM.

On several dates, the gang had taken money ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 and had taken a total of Rs 28,000.

Chintadripet Police are perusing the CCTV footages from the ATM and in the neighbourhood to ascertain the identity of the suspects.