A gang of three masked men attempted a daring theft in Karnataka’s Belagavi district, stealing an India1 ATM using a handcart, only to dump it minutes later after they couldn’t crack it open.
The incident took place around 3 a.m. on December 2 near National Highway 48. With service road construction preventing vehicle access, the thieves arrived with a gas cutter and a handcart, police said.
They first entered the kiosk and sprayed black paint on the alarm sensors to disable them. Once they ensured the alarm wouldn’t trigger, they used the gas cutter to access the ATM box, lifted the 700-kg machine, placed it on the handcart, and pushed it roughly 200 metres to where their vehicle was parked. After loading the ATM into the vehicle, they returned the handcart and fled.
The ATM, valued at ₹2 lakh and containing ₹1.9 lakh in cash, was later found abandoned about 250 metres from the kiosk. Police said the thieves appeared to have dumped it after being unable to force it open.
Kakati police have registered a case and launched a hunt for the suspects. According to an officer, the incident came to light only around 9:30 a.m. when locals alerted authorities. India1 officials reportedly reached the spot two hours after being informed. The officer added that despite the CCTV camera and sensors being painted over, the automated alerts did not appear to trigger due to inadequate security measures. The machine was already scheduled for relocation because of the ongoing roadwork.
A dog squad and wooden fragments from the handcart helped police trace the ATM to its abandoned location.
