Somangalam ATM Robbers Escape Telangana Police After Stealing Rs 9 Lakh

A gang that cut open an ICICI Bank ATM and stole around Rs 9 lakh at Somangalam in Kanchipuram district escaped police at a tollgate in Telangana after threatening officers with firearms, before abandoning their car in a forest.

The incident occurred around 2:45 am on Tuesday at an ICICI ATM booth in Pudupedu village along the Sriperumbudur-Kundrathur road in Somangalam. The perpetrators used a welding machine to breach the ATM and decamped with the cash.

While the ATM booth had no security guards, the CCTV cameras were connected over the internet to the bank headquarters in Mumbai. When the gang attempted to break the machine, a siren sounded at the headquarters, alerting bank officials who immediately notified the Somangalam police station.

Police personnel experienced delays locating the specific ATM booth and searched multiple spots before reaching the Somangalam site, by which point the gang had fled. Although the suspects had sprayed chemicals on the cameras, police managed to access the central surveillance footage.

Following the heist, Telangana police intercepted the suspects' car at a tollgate. However, the gang members pointed guns at the officers and made their escape. Telangana police pursued the vehicle for a long distance, but the gang managed to get away.

Tambaram police personnel who travelled to Telangana subsequently located and seized the abandoned car in an isolated forest. Investigators are analysing the registration number and suspect the vehicle was stolen.

Three special squads have been formed to track down the suspects, who are believed to have fled to Mumbai in Maharashtra. Forensic teams have examined the crime scene, and investigators are analysing mobile tower call records to trace the culprits.