Ludhiana, Dec. 28 -- In a late-night heist that exposed glaring security lapses, a group of unidentified robbers fled with the cash tray of an Axis Bank ATM in Kailash Nagar, Basti Jodhewal, around 2 am on Saturday. The ATM kiosk had neither CCTV cameras nor a security guard on duty, and its shutter, though down, was found unlocked.

According to the police, the accused arrived at the ATM kiosk in a white Maruti Suzuki Swift car. Finding the premises completely guardless and the shutter unlatched, the robbers allegedly used a gas cutter to break open the ATM machine and escaped with the cash tray within minutes.

While the exact amount stolen is yet to be ascertained, local shopkeepers said the ATM had been replenished with cash barely tw...