Mumbai Crime: Three escape with Rs 77 lakh after burning down ATM in Goregaon

Before the fire incident on February 10 was reported, the bank officials had received several complaints of malfunctions in the machine

Three employees allegedly cut open an ATM belonging to State Bank of India, stole Rs 77 lakh and then set fire to it, in Goregaon East, on February 10, the police probe has revealed. The accused are absconding. According to police sources, a fire was reported at the SBI ATM, near Goregaon East SRPF Centre on the Western Express Highway, on February 10. The Vanrai police and the fire brigade rushed to the spot. However, the centre, including the two ATMs, had burnt down completely.

Bank officials initiated a probe. On checking the CCTV footage, they found one bit missing owing to the burning of the DVR. The officials found past records of complaints about faults at the ATM. The custodian officer, who was responsible for maintaining the machine, had also recorded the report of its rectification. Despite this, the complaints of malfunctions in the machine continued.

The bank personnel found that the custodians of the ATM - Pravin Pendkalkar and Ritik Yadava along with the loader Rahul Sonawla -- knew the password of the ATM and had conspired to steal money. They later set it on fire to mislead cops. The bank has submitted a written complaint to the police. "On the complaint of the bank officials, we have registered the case against three employees of a cash management company under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code," said DCP Somnath Gharge Zone XII.

Treasury cassette burnt

When the fireproof treasury cassette section of the ATM was opened with the help of a technician, a few burnt notes were found in it, said the officer. However, there were no ashes, the cop added. One of the drawbacks of the ATM is that the machine does not tell the record of how much money was loaded. The record, however, is maintained by the loader, the officer added. By the time the bank checked the record, the accused had absconded. "Four complaints have been received in the past about such disturbances at the same ATM centre. We had asked the bank officials to fix it, but till now nothing has been done," said another officer.