Hyderabad: Thieves stole an entire SBI ATM in Yellareddypet town of Rajanna Sircilla district early on Saturday. After prying it open in a nearby forest area, the miscreants decamped with over Rs 6 lakh in cash. Police have launched a manhunt to nab the accused.The incident occurred near the Yellareddypet bus stand at around 2 am, when unidentified offenders entered the unmanned ATM centre and stole the entire machine. “The CCTV camera in the ATM was not working. We asked the agency entrusted with its maintenance, and they informed us that the camera was defunct. We are examining CCTV footage from nearby places to identify the accused,” Yellareddypet CI O Venkatesh said.A preliminary probe revealed that three offenders arrived in a pickup van and fled with the machine. “We suspect that they tied a rope to the machine and pulled it out of its base. They may have then loaded it into the van and transported it to a forest area eight kilometres away in Akkapalli. There, they pried open the cash chest and stole the money,” an investigator said.Rajanna Sircilla SP Gite Mahesh Babasaheb visited the spot and formed eight special teams to nab the accused. “Bank officials lodged a complaint stating that Rs 6.06 lakh cash was stolen. A burglary case has been registered under Sections 331(4) and 305 of the BNS,” the inspector said.
