2 gangs that looted ATMs nabbed in city

Hyderabad: Five persons belonging to two gangs from Haryana that stole cash from ATMs here were arrested by the Rachakonda police on Thursday. The police recovered about Rs 8.5 lakh cash, an autorickshaw and gas cutters used by the offenders.

On September 3, following a theft of about Rs 4.46 lakh from an ATM. The police arrested one Mohd. Amzad, 26, a driver with a travel company who was outsourced to work with an airline.

Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat said Amzad, a resident of Pahadishareef, has a stepbrother Zuber who lives in Haryana. Zuber, a notorious burglar, was arrested by the Kothwali police of Mandla district in Madhya Pradesh on September 24, along with two others for similar offences.

In the last week of August, Zuber had sent Rs 9,000 to Amzad to conduct a recce of selected ATMs. A day before the offence, Zuber along with four others reached Hyderabad from Haryana in a car and stole the cash.

They went towards Nizamabad and changed the number plate of the vehicle to mislead the police. Amzad got down at Armoor and returned to the city. The Mandla police arrested three of the gang and seized the car they used, said Mr Bhagwat.

In another case at LB Nagar, four persons from Haryana were arrested for stealing Rs 15.3 lakh from an ATM located at Mansoorabad.

Saber Khan, 39, of Haryana, Arshan Khan, 20, Ajrudeen, 25 and Talim, 20, were caught at LB Nagar on Thursday and Rs 8 lakh cash and an autorickshaw was seized from them, while another accused, Sajeed, is absconding.

“Saber, who hails from Haryana and lives in the city, invited his friends to join him in stealing cash from ATMs.

About Rs 7,000 was burnt when they tried to cut the machine. A search is on to nab an absconding person,” he said.