Gang Cuts Open Gummidipoondi ATM With Welding Machine, Steals Rs 12 Lakh

An unidentified gang broke open an Axis Bank ATM on the bypass road in Gummidipoondi, Thiruvallur district, and looted Rs 12 lakh on Thursday, marking the second similar ATM heist reported in the Chennai suburbs within three days.

The incident came to light when a customer visited the kiosk to withdraw cash, noticed the severely damaged cash-dispensing machine, and immediately informed the local police.

According to the police, the culprits used a welding machine to cut open the cash chest of the ATM. Before cutting open the machine, the gang members sprayed a chemical substance onto the lenses of the CCTV cameras installed inside the kiosk to obscure footage and avoid detection.

Bank officials reported that Rs 12 lakh in cash had been loaded into the machine on Tuesday. The perpetrators took the entire cash cache before fleeing the scene.

Investigators noted that an Indian Overseas Bank ATM located in an adjacent building on the same bypass road was also targeted during the operation. The gang attempted to break into that machine as well, but failed to extract any money from it.

The SIPCOT police have registered a case and formed a special investigation team to trace and arrest the gang.

Police officials noted that the method used in Gummidipoondi closely mirrored a robbery that occurred earlier in the week. On Monday morning, an unidentified gang used the exact same technique—spraying chemical on surveillance cameras and cutting open the machine with a welding tool—to steal Rs 9 lakh from an ICICI Bank ATM located at Somangalam in the Chennai suburbs.