THE HINDU

CCTV camera footage of a bike used by a pair of suspects led the police to a breakthrough in the investigation into the SBI ATM thefts in the city. The gang from Haryana struck at 14 places between June 15 and 18. Similar offences were committed in other places across the country as well.

Following initial reports, Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal held an emergency meeting on Tuesday with bank officials and deputed a special team to nab the suspects, who had come from the northern states and committed the offence.

During the course of the investigation, the special team arrested one Amir Arsh, of Ballabhgarh, Haryana, with help from the Haryana Police. During interrogation, the accused confessed, explaining the modus operandi of the group and provided other leads.

Explaining the events that led to a breakthrough in the case, a senior police officer said more than five groups had operated within the city limits. They came in pairs on motorbikes and stole the money from the ATMs.

CCTV camera footage from one of the ATM kiosks showed a bike passing by at the time of occurrence. The accused were wearing helmets to avoid identification. The police checked the registration number of the bike and traced it to the owner, who was renting them out. He provided them with details of the person who rented the vehicle.

From there, the team collected the phone numbers and photographs of the accused, and tracked the signal of a mobile phone used by one of them, who was moving toward the airport. They collected his ticket details and traced him to Delhi. Based on his information, the team gathered details about the other accused, an officer said.

Details have been shared with the Haryana police. "We will try to secure the remaining accused soon," he said.