Jaipur, June 24 (IANS) In a major breakthrough, the Alwar District Police and the District Special Team (DST) have busted an interstate ATM theft gang and solved the case involving the uprooting and theft of an ATM machine from Rathi Market.

Acting swiftly, police arrested two criminals and recovered the damaged ATM machine, along with an Eicher tractor and a motorcycle allegedly used in the crime.

Alwar Superintendent of Police Sudhir Chaudhary said the operation was carried out under the supervision of Additional Superintendent of Police Dr Deepak Kumar and Ramgarh Circle Officer Pintu Kumar.

Special teams comprising personnel from Udyog Nagar Police Station, the DST and the Cyclone Cell were formed under the leadership of Station House Officer (SHO) Bhupendra Singh to crack the case.

On the night of June 17, unidentified thieves targeted an ATM installed at Rathi Market under the jurisdiction of Udyog Nagar Police Station. The ATM contained Rs 4,92,500 in cash.

The accused uprooted the entire machine and fled with it. Following a complaint lodged by the bank administration, a case was registered and an investigation was launched.

During the investigation, police discovered that the gang had adopted a new modus operandi.

The criminals used a local associate only to identify and survey the target location. However, fearing identification and arrest, they did not involve the local contact in the actual theft.

The accused tied the ATM machine with ropes or chains and used a vehicle to pull it out of the ground. After uprooting it, they loaded the heavy machine into a vehicle and escaped from the scene.

Police teams examined footage from hundreds of CCTV cameras installed along major highways and routes across Rajasthan and Haryana.

With the help of human intelligence and technical analysis conducted by the Cyclone Cell, investigators successfully traced the suspects.

During a subsequent raid, police recovered the damaged ATM machine and seized an Eicher tractor and a motorcycle.

The arrested accused have been identified as:

Hambir Singh (42), son of Tej Singh, resident of Garauli village under Januthar Police Station in Deeg district.

Kamlesh Kumar Meena (36), son of Harphool Meena, resident of Birpur village under Tahla Police Station in Alwar district.

Criminal network extended across Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh

During preliminary interrogation, both accused admitted to stealing three tractors from Uttar Pradesh and Faridabad.

They also confessed to involvement in major ATM theft cases in Agra (Uttar Pradesh), Palwal and Hisar (Haryana).

Police described both men as habitual and experienced offenders with extensive criminal backgrounds.

Hambir Singh has 14 criminal cases registered against him at Barodamev, Sadar Deeg, Nadbai, Sikandra (Dausa), Kotwali (Dausa), and Januthar police stations.

The cases involve offences under theft-related provisions, the Arms Act and the Excise Act.

Kamlesh Kumar Meena has seven criminal cases registered against him at Tahla (Alwar) and Baswa (Dausa) police stations, including offences related to the Electricity Act, assault and rioting.

The operation was carried out by Udyog Nagar SHO Bhupendra Singh, ASI Mahesh Chand, Khem Singh, Devki Nandan, and Constables Saddam and Rakesh.

Personnel from DST Units 1 and 2, including SI Dhirendra Singh, ASIs Harvilas and Jagveer, Head Constable Dayaram, and Constables Kartar, Samundar, Kanha Ram, Hariom, Deen Mohammad, Devendra and Murarilal, played crucial roles in tracking and apprehending the accused.

The technical investigation was led by Cyclone Cell personnel, including Head Constable Sandeep Kumar and Constables Sanjay and Amit.

DST ASIs Kasam Khan and Jaan Mohammad made a particularly significant contribution to the operation.

Acting on their precise intelligence inputs, police were able to locate and arrest the accused and successfully dismantle the interstate gang.

–IANS

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