In a major breakthrough, Mumbai Police’s Zone VI Special Team has arrested four members of an interstate gang from Bathinda, Punjab, involved in a series of high-tech ATM thefts in the city. The gang, which includes a trained ATM technician, is accused of stealing a total of ₹11.93 lakh in two separate incidents in Kurla and Ghatkopar.
The accused identified as—Jasvir Singh,29, Lakhvir Singh,31, Gurpreet Singh,27, and Rajpal Singh,37—used sophisticated methods including duplicate keys and spy cameras to access and steal cash from ATM machines.
Rajpal Singh, the key conspirator, worked as an ATM technician and used his expertise to manipulate the machines’ latch locks and decode the pattern combinations of internal cash boxes. They had specifically targeted an Abhyudaya Bank ATM centers.
According to police, the gang deliberately targeted ATMs on public holidays, taking advantage of low foot traffic and delayed maintenance checks. On June 7 between 6:23 AM and 6:28 AM, the group looted ₹3.07 lakh from an Abhyudaya Bank ATM in Nehru Nagar, Kurla.
Investigation also revealed that the same gang had committed a similar theft, just a week earlier, on June 1, they had stolen ₹8.86 lakh from another Abhyudaya Bank ATM in Ghatkopar. using the same modus operandi. Based on the identical modus operandi, police linked the cases registered at Nehru Nagar and Ghatkopar police stations and formed a special investigation team.
Through CCTV footage and technical tracking, the police traced the accused to Bathinda, Punjab, and arrested them. Seized items include, A Skoda car allegedly purchased using stolen funds, ₹20,000 in cash, 3 mobile phones, a spy camera, Airtel Wi-Fi dongle, 3 SIM cards, memory card reader, OTG cable, set of fake keys.
The accused fled Mumbai by air after committing the crimes. The police are now investigating whether the gang is connected to similar ATM thefts in other states.
