Pune Crime Files: how 2 alert cops foiled an ATM robbery midway, caught accused red-handed with gas cutters

Indian Express

2 days ago

On March 23 this year, a gang of robbers targeted the ATM kiosk of a public sector bank on the Dehu-Alandi Road in Pune. Using gas cutters to breach the cash dispenser machine at around 2.20 am, they fled with cash amounting to Rs 16.8 lakh.
A coordinated probe launched subsequently looked into multiple angles, but the police could not achieve any breakthrough. Patrolling was intensified in areas closer to the Pune-Mumbai highway and meticulous efforts were taken to cultivate ground-level intelligence on such gangs.
The breakthrough
Around 1.50 am on May 26, a patrolling team from the Dehu Road police station zeroed in on a vehicle which was suspiciously parked close to some Automated Teller Machine (ATM) kiosks in the area, the police said. When beat marshals Samadhan Patavkar and Kiran Patil approached the car, the driver started the vehicle in haste and sped towards Alandi. The officers saw that two men were sitting in the car's front seats and a woman was in the back seat.
The next moment, the two officers heard a metallic thud from inside an ATM kiosk. They immediately called for back-up and waited for an opportunity to enter the kiosk. They saw that there were two men inside the kiosk who were about to breach the cash dispenser machine with a gas cutter.
As they spotted the cops, the two men started pelting stones and came charging. Fortunately, within moments, Joheb Shaikh, Assistant Inspector, and constable Sopan Valekar reached the spot. After a fistfight, the four police officers finally managed to overpower the two robbers.
The suspects were identified as Mustafa Mobin Khan, 30, and Mustakim Mobin Khan, 25, residents of Pinangwan village in Haryana's Nuh district. The investigation revealed that they were members of a notorious gang of armed robbers led by one Yusuf Khan of Pinangwan.
According to the police, preliminary probe revealed that the officers had caught the two just moments before they were about to breach the cash dispenser which had over Rs 15 lakh in it. Detailed investigation later revealed that the three accomplices who had fled in the car were Yusuf Khan's partner Seema Khan, 40, his brother Azad Khan, 45, and one Waris Khan, 20.
The same gang was behind the robbery on the Dehu-Alandi road in March, the questioning of the suspects has revealed. A team of Dehu Road police is currently conducting a search to arrest the remaining gang members and their leader, who are said to have fled to their village in Haryana.
Investigators detect pattern
Multiple incidents have been reported previously in Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and surrounding areas where burglars have used gas cutters or explosives to breach ATM cash dispensers. Probe has revealed these incidents took place at kiosks with inadequate security measures.
The series of such heists at ATMs, especially those located in the industrial areas in and around Pune, have revealed a pattern. Most of these heists have taken place in deserted areas during the night or early hours.
Despite very clear guidelines from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and repeated communications from the police, banks and non-banking entities which manage ATMs kiosks fail to put adequate security cover in place, officers have observed.
Taking note of aspects like inadequate security cover at the kiosks, the police have also charged bank officials concerned for 'abetting' these crimes by failing to take necessary measures to secure the ATMs, in some of the cases.
Officers added that directives issued to banks and ATM managing entities are very elaborate. They pertain to alarm systems linked to cell phones of the bank officials, security cameras and their specifications, armed security guard deployment, lighting arrangements, location of the kiosk, monitoring of CCTV footage, construction of the kiosks and so on. In the ATMs that have been targeted, these directives were blatantly flouted, probe into recent cases has revealed.
Sushant Kulkarni is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express in Pune with 12+ years of experience covering issues related to Crime, Defence, Internal Security and Courts. He has been associated with the Indian Express since July 2010.
Sushant has extensively reported on law and order issues of Pune and surrounding area, Cyber crime, narcotics trade and terrorism. His coverage in the Defence beat includes operational aspects of the three services, the defence research and development and issues related to key defence establishments. He has covered several sensitive cases in the courts at Pune.
Sushant is an avid photographer, plays harmonica and loves cooking. ... Read More