Siliguri, July 23 -- In an incident that has once again raised serious questions about security in the region, miscreants looted nearly Rs 14.07 lakh from an ATM of State Bank of India (SBI) located in Loknath Bazar along the Eastern Bypass Road in Siliguri.

The daring heist, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday, was executed using a stolen Tata Sumo vehicle and a gas cutter, creating widespread sensation

in the city. According to police sources, the gang arrived at the ATM counter around 3:18 am in the stolen vehicle. Using a gas cutter, they broke into the ATM machine, which briefly caught fire during the act.

After looting the cash, the miscreants fled the scene. A patrol van from Ashighar Outpost noticed the suspicious vehicle and chased it. However, the miscreants managed to escape swiftly through the Eastern Bypass. Meanwhile, a local resident noticed flames inside the ATM and alerted the police. Officers from Bhaktinagar Police Station, along with Rakesh Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (East) rushed to the location.

The stolen Tata Sumo, used in the robbery, was later traced to the Himachal Bihar area in Matigara. The vehicle owner, Sujit Sur, revealed that his car was stolen from outside his residence in Ambikanagar. "I usually park my car in an open space near my home. This morning, a friend informed me that my car was spotted near Matigara. I went there immediately, informed the police and they recovered it," he said.

Inside the abandoned vehicle, police found a gas cutter and a spray bottle-believed to be used during the robbery. Police suspect that the miscreants switched to another vehicle after abandoning the stolen car. Pawan Kumar Gupta, a contractor responsible for ATM maintenance, said: "It was found that one person first entered the counter covering his face and sprayed paint on the CCTV camera. Later, others entered. The robbery took about 15 minutes. While some of the footage is unclear, a few pictures were captured."

DCP Rakesh Singh informed that four individuals were involved in the crime. "An investigation has been launched based on CCTV footage and some evidence. Initial findings confirm that the vehicle was stolen," he said. Following the incident, police across neighboring districts, including Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar have been put on high alert. Efforts are underway to track the culprits through surveillance footage and mobile data analysis.

A few days ago, a similar incident happened in Champasari area. Such incidents have raised concerns among local residents. In both cases, no security guards were present at the ATMs.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.