Police Uncover Haryana Training Hubs After Somangalam ATM Burglary
Investigations into a string of ATM heists across Chennai suburbs between August 25 and September 5 have led Tamil Nadu police to uncover dedicated training schools operating in Haryana. Rookie burglars in the villages of Nuh, Palwal, and Mewat were trained using real automated teller machines to cut open cash chests, disable closed-circuit cameras, and extract cash without damaging currency notes.
In Somangalam, burglars deployed gas-cutting equipment to empty an ATM cash chest. A similar modus operandi was recorded in Gummidipoondi during the same period. The burglars demonstrated deep familiarity with the internal mechanisms of cash machines and used welding equipment precisely to avoid singeing the currency stored inside.
Tambaram City Police Commissioner Prem Anand Sinha said that a special team formally arrested one suspect, Pawan Kumar, who was detained in Jaipur prison, in connection with the Somangalam ATM burglary. Another suspect, Mohammad Mustafa, was subsequently arrested, while a third suspect remains absconding.
Police discovered that the training centres in Haryana procured discarded ATMs sold as scrap by banks or sourced newer models from abroad. Machines imported from overseas were cut into two pieces, transported into India inside containers with scrap metal, and reassembled using arc and gas welding. In these village classrooms, recruits practised with welding and gas-cutting gear using blank paper as dummy currency. Recruits who successfully breached cash chests within set time limits were chosen to lead four- to five-member teams across the country.
A third burglary at Kudapakkam in Vellavedu involved a different gang that cut an entire ATM containing between ₹10 lakh and ₹12 lakh from its base and transported it away in a stolen hearse. Investigators tracked the stolen hearse to West Bengal, arresting three suspects identified as SK Sameer, Sarbar Khan, and Rasool. Joint Commissioner R Sivakumar noted that the Vellavedu suspects operated as a copycat gang attempting to pin blame on the Haryana syndicate.
Tamil Nadu police are now preparing targeted operations inside villages in Nuh, Palwal, and Mewat to dismantle the backing network, including trainers, financiers, and equipment suppliers.
