Man arrested within 24 hours of ATM, bank theft attempts

The Central Division police arrested a man on Tuesday in connection with the attempted thefts at a bank and an ATM kiosk in the city on Monday.

The accused has been identified as Hasan Saab, a resident of Seshadripuram and a native of Dharwad. He was apprehended by the Seshadripuram police in connection with an attempted theft at a nationalised bank in Seshadripuram and another attempt to steal cash from a private bank ATM within the limits of Halasuru Gate Police Station.

The accused allegedly gained entry into the bank through the ventilator located at the back of the building while the security guard on duty was stationed at the front during the early hours of Monday. The accused allegedly disconnected the CCTV connection and attempted to get into the strong room by cutting a wire to disable the security system which triggered an alarm.

Sensing trouble, the accused escaped without taking any valuables.

A similar attempt was made on the same day at an ATM kiosk. According to the police, the accused allegedly targeted the bank and the ATM kiosk to repay his debts. During the interrogation, he is said to have confessed that mounting financial liabilities drove him to attempt the thefts.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division) Akshay Hakay said that, considering the gravity of the offences, five special teams were formed to investigate the cases. The teams worked on various technical and field-level clues before zeroing in on the suspect and securing his arrest.

The accused was produced before the court and taken into police custody for further investigation to ascertain his criminal antecedents and to probe the possible involvement of others.

Mr. Hakay added that a coordination meeting will be held with bank officials to review existing security measures and strengthen systems to prevent such incidents in the future.