Accused in multiple robbery cases, ATM Baba held from Bihar

LUCKNOW The infamous gang leader of ATM burglars, Sudhir Mishra, was arrested by the Lucknow police unit from Bihar’s Chhapra district on Tuesday. The 38-year-old accused, who has earned the title of ‘ATM Baba’ in the criminal world, had been escaping the clutches of law for several months.

According to police, ATM Baba, along with his aides, damaged an ATM on the Sultanpur highway under Sushant Golf city police station limits in Lucknow and decamped with ₹11 lakh in cash. The incident took place in April.

The press note shared by U.P. Police following his arrest describes ATM Baba as a history sheeter with as many as 11 cases lodged against him in different police stations in Bihar and one in Lucknow. Mishra is currently in police remand.

Earlier, on April 24, four of his gang members -- Niraj Mishra (35), Raj Tiwari (28), Pankaj Pandey (35), and Kumar Bhaskar Ojha (35) -- were sent to jail. They all are residents of Chhapra district.

Earlier, during police questioning, the four accused had revealed that they are members of an ‘international gang’. They added that Sudhir Mishra, the leader of the gang, performs inspection prior to the robbery. “Mishra starts with the reconnaissance and usually targets ATMs on highways with no guards. He then sprays the CCTV camera to black them out and cut the alarm’s connection before damaging the ATM,” JCP Crime, Nilabja Choudhary, had said earlier in a press conference.

An SBI ATM situated at Sultanpur road was looted on April 3. In this case, an FIR was lodged at Sushant Golf city police station by Mohammad Salman, an advisor to Hitachi Payment service private limited, on April 5. On the basis of the complaint, an FIR under various sections of IPC was lodged and five police teams were formed to nab the perpetrators.