Gurgaon: Unguarded ATMs, isolated kiosks and machines holding large amounts of cash have repeatedly emerged as soft targets.The next time a thief tries to break open an ATM in the city, the authority may know about it before the cash is taken.In an initiative that assumes significance against a pattern seen in the city in recent years, the administration — in coordination with the banking system, led by the lead district manager (LDM), and police — is putting in place a digital security mechanism that takes the human element out of the first response.Any suspicious movement or tampering at a bank branch or ATM will automatically trigger an emergency alert to the bank manager, police control room and the concerned station house officer.Instead of a bank employee or passerby calling police after spotting a break-in, surveillance equipment will detect an attempted intrusion and push an alert through the emergency response system. The nearest police team and emergency response vehicle (ERV) can then be dispatched to the location.“Digital surveillance equipment is being prescribed for ATMs, particularly those without guards or located at vulnerable spots,” the LDM told TOI.For a city with 46 banks, 786 branches and 1,447 bank-operated ATMs, the challenge is scale. The proposed digital layer is aimed at ensuring that a suspected break-in at any one of these points does not remain unnoticed until the cash disappears.The plan extends beyond ATMs to the movement of cash. Cash vans carrying money between banks and ATMs will have to be fitted with CCTV cameras and GPS, besides having armed security personnel. Police should also have details of agencies transporting cash. Banks and cash-handling agencies can seek police assistance when transporting more than Rs 10 lakh, officials said.The authority has asked all banks to register their branches and ATMs on the 112 emergency response system and is holding meetings with bank officials to ensure compliance.Banks have simultaneously been asked to strengthen physical security. CCTV cameras should cover vulnerable points inside and outside branches and ATM kiosks, while trained security guards should be deployed at sensitive locations.Police will also periodically review CCTV coverage and other security arrangements with banks.In April 2022, robbers targeted an unmanned ATM in Sector 75A, sprayed black paint on the CCTV cameras and used a gas cutter to cut open the machine. They escaped with Rs 13.2 lakh. In Dec 2023, two men uprooted an ATM at Kherki Daula, carrying away a cash jacket containing about Rs 20 lakh. The incident occurred shortly after the security guard completed his night shift. The thieves used a gas cutter and later set the kiosk on fire.More recently, an unguarded Canara Bank ATM on Gurdwara Road was targeted three times in May 2025. They damaged the machine. According to officials, criminals exploit technical loopholes rather than relying only on conventional break-ins.
