THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: An armed gang of robbers, fleeing in a container truck with approximately 65 lakh rupees stolen from multiple ATM robberies in Thrissur district of Kerala, was intercepted by the Tamil Nadu police at Namakkal.
In the encounter that followed, one of the gang members was shot dead by the Tamil Nadu police and another was injured. The accused were later taken into custody.
The Namakkal police have confirmed that an encounter took place when they intercepted a vehicle carrying the ATM robbery gang.
Two Tamil Nadu police officers were also injured in the operation.
A gang cracked open three State Bank of India ATMs in the early hours of Friday in Thrissur district, absconding with roughly Rs 65 lakhs. Arriving in a white car, the culprits employed a gas cutter to breach the ATMs located at Mapranam, Kolazhy, and Shoranur Road.
Following the incident in Thrissur, the Kerala police suspected that the gang might pass through Krishnagiri, Erode, Salem, or Namakkal. This information was relayed to the Tamil Nadu police, who later intercepted a container truck after a chase in Namakkal, resulting in the accused being taken into custody.
Thrissur city police commissioner Elanko stated that a police team from Thrissur has departed for Namakkal to take the accused into custody.
The modus operandi of the gang arrested in connection with the Thrissur ATM robbery has been found similar to previous cases recorded in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh, involving the accused hailing from Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
In similar cases reported in 2020 and 2024, the gang utilized gas cutters, container trucks, and spray paint to obscure surveillance cameras, targeted ATMs in isolated areas, and chose the early morning hours between 2 am to 4 am to execute the robberies.
They would place the cars used for the crimes inside rented container trucks while traveling from place to place in search of ATMs.
