Thieves set fire to Gurugram ATM kiosk after robbing it of ₹16.77L

A group of unidentified thieves allegedly cut open an ATM belonging to a private bank, stole ₹16.77 lakh, and then set fire to it in Sector 38’s Jharsa village on Thursday morning. Police said the thieves set the ATM on fire allegedly to remove any forensic evidence.

According to the police, the incident took place between 3am and 4am at the ATM near Medanta hospital. The police said CCTV camera footage showed a group of at least three men, whose faces were covered, entering the kiosk around 3am. No security guard had been deployed at the kiosk.

“The ATM connection was cut off at 3.54 am, following which it was sliced open with a gas cutter. After dismantling the ATM and stealing the cash, the thieves set the machine on fire,” said the complainant, who has been authorised on behalf of the payment services company that manages the ATM, to file the complaint.

“Though there is always a remote possibility of an ATM machine catching fire when it is cut open due to heat, in this case, the thieves may have wanted to erase any forensic evidence, such as fingerprints, to evade arrest. Parts of the machine and the air-conditioner had melted before a passerby informed us of the fire. No burnt notes were found at the kiosk, ruling out the possibility that the ATM caught fire by accident,” the complainant said, requesting anonymity.

Police said at the time of the theft, the machine had ₹16, 77, 200 cash in it and the thieves stole all of it.

Dalbir Singh, station house officer, Sadar police station, said, “The police is yet to find any clue. No accused persons have been identified,” he said.

A case was registered against unidentified accused persons under sections 380 (theft in dwelling house etc), 457 (lurking house trespass or house breaking by night in order to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house etc) of the Indian Penal Code at Sadar police station on Thursday, police said.