Siliguri, July 24 (Siliguri Chronicle) – A four-member gang broke into an ATM kiosk in the Eastern Bypass area of Siliguri early Wednesday and looted nearly ₹9 lakh. After the theft, they set the kiosk on fire before fleeing the scene.
Police launched a chase soon after the incident but were unable to catch the suspects. However, they managed to recover the SUV believed to have been used in the crime.
Sources said the incident took place around 3:30 am on Wednesday, when a gang of four targeted the ATM kiosk of a nationalised bank near Ashighar More, a key intersection on the Eastern Bypass.
The criminals used a gas-cutter to break open the locker and steal the cash, estimated at around ₹9 lakh. As they were fleeing the scene in an SUV, a police patrol van in the area spotted them and gave chase.
The gang managed to give police the slip. They abandoned the SUV in Himachal Bihar, a locality in the Matigara block northwest of Siliguri, and fled in another vehicle.
“During initial investigation, it has been found that a gang of four persons entered the ATM kiosk. They looted around ₹9 lakh in cash, set fire to the kiosk and fled in a vehicle. Later, we recovered the vehicle. Investigations have started to identify the gang,” said Rakesh Singh, the deputy commissioner (east) of the Siliguri Metropolitan Police.
Police also found that the seized SUV, a Tata Sumo, had been stolen from the Eastern Bypass area on Tuesday night.
“Before the loot, one of the gang members, who had his face covered, walked into the kiosk and sprayed a chemical on the CCTV cameras to blur the video-recording,” said a source.
Later in the day, senior police officers visited the spot and collected evidence, including available CCTV footage of the incident.
“The information the police have gathered so far suggests an interstate gang,” said a source.
On June 19, burglars targeted another ATM in Champasari, in the northern part of Siliguri. Just days earlier, on June 15, a similar ATM heist took place in Boulbari, Maynaguri, in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district, where the gang made off with over ₹50 lakh.
On June 22, a group of criminals looted a leading jewellery store on Hill Cart Road in Siliguri, stealing valuables worth ₹11 crore.
Siliguri BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh alleged that the spate of such crimes reflects a worsening law and order situation in and around the city.
“Recently, there had been back-to-back lootings of ATM and an armed robbery in a prominent jewelry showroom. These incidents hint that the police have miserably failed to control crimes here,” said the MLA.
Snatching cuffs
A 40-year-old man was arrested on Tuesday for snatching a gold chain from an elderly morning walker inside Karunamoyee Housing Estate in Salt Lake, Calcutta, around 6:30 am on Monday. The victim, 72-year-old Annapurna Chatterjee, a resident of the complex, lodged a complaint. The accused, Sonu Dolui, was arrested based on CCTV footage.
