Dhapewada ATM theft: Thieves abandon stolen mini truck as it runs out of diesel

The ATM kiosk where the thieves committed theft.

Staff Reporter :

Investigation into theft of Rs 10.44 lakh cash from an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at Dhapewada in Kalemshwar tehsil revealed that the thieves had stolen a Tata Ace mini truck from Dhapewada village and left the truck abandoned as it ran out of fuel, officials said. A police official said that the thieves had stolen a Tata Ace mini truck (MH-40/BL-5664) of Ravindra Vinayak Maske (27), a resident of Dhapewada on Saturday around 9.30 pm.

They then moved to the ATM kiosk and stolen Rs 10.44 lakh cash after breaking open the unguarded ATM of Bank of India (BOI) using a gas cutter in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday. Soon after grabbing the cash, the thieves sped away in the mini truck towards highway but, could not manage to reach their destination. As the vehicle ran out of diesel, the thieves abandoned the truck and sped away from the spot. Investigation revealed that three persons were involved in the crime.

The police are checking footage of CCTVs installed on the highway. The police is suspecting involvement of an inter-state gang in the heist as two such cases recently reported in neighbouring Bhandara and Wardha districts. In Bhandara ATM theft case, the thieves stolen Rs 10 lakh. In all three cases, modus operendi of the criminals was same, police said. It may be mentioned here that a gang of ATM thieves was busted by Rural police in March this year. The gang had committed ATM robberies in Nagpur Rural, City and Wardha district.