LUCKNOW, April 12 -- An ATM break-in attempt in Lucknow thankfully failed with the helmeted intruder spending nearly seven minutes trying to break open a cash machine. Eventually, he had to flee without any money, police said on Saturday. The incident took place on April 10 at an ATM kiosk located in a market along the Bani-Mohanlalganj road in Paharpur under Banthra police station limits. The machine, operated by a private service provider (Hitachi), was targeted late at night and the damage came to light the following morning. According to the police, the suspect entered the booth wearing a helmet, to conceal his identity, and used a crowbar to repeatedly strike the ATM. CCTV footage shows him attempting to break open the machine and tampering with its locking system. Despite sustained efforts, he could only damage a portion of the outer structure and failed to access the cash compartment. "The accused tried to force open the ATM and break its lock, but could not retrieve any cash," said Banthra station house officer Rana Rajesh Singh. "We have secured CCTV footage and are working to identify the suspect, " he added. The attempted theft was discovered on April 11 when local shopkeepers noticed the damaged ATM and alerted the property owner, Mahendra Srivastava, who then informed police via Dial 112. A police team reached the spot and confirmed signs of forced entry and tampering. Police are now scanning nearby CCTV cameras and collecting technical evidence to trace the suspect.htc...