Blaring siren foils ATM heist

Ludhiana: An unidentified miscreant attempted to rob a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM kiosk on Barewal Road but fled after the machine's siren went off. The intruder managed to break open the shutter of the kiosk and entered the ATM cabin, but the robbery attempt failed when the alarm was triggered as soon as a gas cutter was used on the machine.The incident came to notice in the morning when locals observed the damaged shutter. Following this, the deputy manager of the bank lodged a complaint with the Sarabha Nagar police.Based on the complaint of Sanjeev Kumar Verma, a resident of Bajrang Vihar on Noorwala Road and deputy manager at SBI's Treasury Branch, Ghumar Mandi, police registered a case against unidentified accused. The FIR has been filed under Sections 331(4) (lurking house trespass), 305 (theft), and 62 (attempt to commit an offence) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).According to the complainant, he received a call from chief manager Ashwani Mahajan informing him that the SBI ATM kiosk located in Ashapuri on Barewal Road, next to a furniture store, had been targeted. The accused allegedly broke open the shutter between 2:30am and 3am and caused damage to the ATM, but could not steal any cash.ASI Rajinder Kumar, the investigating officer from Sarabha Nagar police station, said the siren system prevented the robbery. He stated that the alarm activated when the accused attempted to break open the ATM using a gas cutter. He added that all SBI ATMs are equipped with an inbuilt siren system, which contributed to foiling the attempt. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway.ASI Rajinder Kumar said police have asked the bank to provide CCTV footage to help identify the accused. The probe continues.In a related incident earlier this month, on March 7, a gang robbed an ICICI Bank ATM near Jalandhar Bypass by breaking it open with a gas cutter and escaped with cash trays containing about Rs 6–7 lakh. A case was registered by the Salem Tabri police, but the suspects have not yet been traced.