Burglars Cut Open Axis Bank ATM in Gummidipoondi, Flee with ₹11.5 Lakh

Police have launched an investigation after a gang used welding equipment to cut open an Axis Bank ATM at Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district on Thursday, making off with ₹11.5 lakh in cash. The burglary occurred just two days after a similar ATM theft was reported at Somangalam, near Tambaram.

According to police, the perpetrators targeted an unmanned suburban kiosk. Before cutting into the machine, the culprits sprayed black paint over the CCTV surveillance camera and disabled the alarm system. They then utilised a welding machine to slice open the cash chest box.

The crime came to light when a customer entered the Axis Bank kiosk to withdraw money and discovered the machine broken open. Personnel from the Sipcot police station rushed to the spot and confirmed that the surveillance equipment had been obscured with black paint and the cash compartment had been breached using welding tools.

Bank officials stated that ₹12 lakh had been loaded into the machine two days prior to the incident, of which around ₹11.5 lakh was stolen. Police noted that the gang also attempted to break into a nearby Indian Overseas Bank ATM during the operation, but abandoned the effort after failing to reach the cash inside.

Investigators are currently examining whether the Gummidipoondi break-in is directly linked to the recent theft at Somangalam, where a gang made away with ₹9 lakh. Both cases involved suburban ATMs without security guards, where the thieves used identical methods of disabling alarms, blinding security cameras with paint, and cutting open the cash chests with welding tools.