Daylight heist: Two men on bike steal Rs 18 lakh near ATM at Jalahalli Cross

BENGALURU: In a daylight heist, two bike-borne burglars decamped with Rs 18.50 lakh cash from an ATM cash vehicle after stabbing one of the security guards who tried to resist them, near Jalahalli Cross in Bagalagunte police limits on Monday. The incident happened around 6 am when the cash-filling vehicle belonging to a private security agency stopped at the ICICI Bank ATM near Ayyappa Temple and the security staff stepped out with a bag containing Rs 18.50 lakh. Before they could reach the ATM, where the cash had to be loaded, the two burglars on the bike, wearing full-face helmets, accosted the security staff and tried to snatch the bag. One of the security guards, Sagar, tried to resist them, but the burglars stabbed him and fled the spot.

The security agency filed a complaint at the Bagalagunte police station and two teams have been formed to trace the burglars. The police are examining the CCTV footage from the cameras installed in and around the area. After two days of bank holidays, the security agency had assigned its staff to fill cash in the ATMs around Peenya. The employees left their main branch around 5 am with Rs 1.26 crore in the van. A police source said that the burglars may have planned the heist for a long time and followed the movements of the van continuously. As the banks were closed on Saturday and Sunday, the burglars knew that the ATMs will be loaded early on Monday morning, he said.