Telangana ATM Hit by Nightie Gang

Unidentified thieves wearing nighties and masks, who arrived in an ambulance, looted an ATM in Telangana's Kamareddy district on Sunday, officials said on Monday.

According to police, the burglars broke into a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM and, after damaging the machine with gas cutters, escaped with the cash. The crime, committed between 1 a.m. and 1.30 a.m. in Gandhari village, was captured on the CCTV camera.

The footage shows the offenders arriving in an ambulance, wearing masks, caps and gloves, cutting open the ATM with gas cutters and fleeing with cash. The suspects appear to be men. However, police have not ruled out the involvement of women as a woman was involved in the recent theft at an ATM in Karimnagar district.

The theft came to light on Monday morning after locals noticed the damaged machine and alerted the police. The police reached the scene, registered a case, and collected evidence with the assistance of a clues team.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage to identify the suspects and reconstruct their movements before and after the robbery. The amount of cash stolen remains unconfirmed, with verification of the ATM's cash balance required to establish the loss.

Police are also investigating whether the ambulance used in the crime was genuine or it was just to disguise their movements.

Last month, burglars damaged two ATMs and looted cash in Telangana’s Karimnagar town. The offenders targeted two ATMs of the SBI in two different areas, using gas cutters to break open the machines and fled with the cash.

The thefts, committed in Durshed under Karimnagar Rural Police Station limits and Thimmapur under LMD Police Station limits on September 19, were captured on CCTV.

At Durshed, the thieves allegedly sprayed a liquid on the CCTV cameras before stealing the cash from the ATM.

Police identified the involvement of a woman based on the CCTV footage.

Two burglars, including a woman, reached the Durshed ATM in a car. The accused were wearing caps, spectacles, gloves and masks.

After damaging the ATM, they took away Rs 8 lakh stored in the machine.