In the early hours of Friday, two back-to-back incidents of attempted ATM theft were reported in Quepem, Goa. The targeted ATMs belonged to State Bank of India (SBI) and Canara Bank, and both cases are being investigated by the local police.
First Attempt at SBI ATM in Gudi, Paroda
The first incident happened around 2:00 AM at the SBI ATM booth located in Gudi, Paroda. According to a complaint filed by Anjali Pawar, Deputy Manager at SBI Margao, unknown persons broke into the ATM booth by damaging the front door.
Once inside, the culprits tried to disable the ATM security system. They vandalised the keypad panel, cut the surveillance wires, damaged the false ceiling, and even tried to tamper with CCTV footage to erase evidence. Fortunately, the thieves could not steal any money from the ATM.
Second Incident at Canara Bank ATM in Cusman, Quepem
Just half an hour later, around 2:30 AM, a similar attempted theft took place at a Canara Bank ATM booth located opposite the old police station in Cusman, Quepem.
Rajeev Sharma, Senior Manager of Canara Bank, reported that unknown people broke into the ATM booth and damaged the machine in an effort to take out cash. However, like in the previous case, they failed to steal any money.
Police Investigation Underway
The Quepem police have registered two separate cases for these incidents. According to the police, both theft attempts happened within a short time frame and followed a similar pattern — which suggests that the same group could be behind both crimes.
The police are currently reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence collected from the crime scenes. Investigations are ongoing to identify and catch the people responsible.
