Inter-State Gangs Target ATMs Across North Telangana

NIZAMABAD/KAMAREDDY: A series of ATM burglaries and attempted thefts across north Telangana has raised public concern over the security of cash dispensing machines, with suspected interstate gangs targeting kiosks in isolated locations and escaping with lakhs of rupees.

Recent incidents in Kamareddy, Karimnagar and Nizamabad districts indicate a pattern in which burglars conduct reconnaissance strikes during the early hours and use gas cutters to break open ATM cash vaults. In several cases, they have also attempted to disable surveillance cameras by spraying paint or damaging the equipment.

In the latest incident, a masked man attempted to break into an ATM on JPN Road in Kamareddy during the early hours of Wednesday. He tried to damage the machine with an iron rod but fled after the electronic surveillance system triggered an alarm. He also removed CCTV cameras while escaping. Police arrested him within hours.

The incident came barely a month after a gang allegedly stole Rs 25.45 lakh from an ATM at Gandhari in Kamareddy district. The accused reportedly arrived in an ambulance, disguised in women's clothing, and used gas cutters to break open the machine. Police arrested the alleged prime accused, Rasheed, in Rajasthan, while three others remained at large.

Karimnagar district has also reported a series of ATM burglaries. On September 19, burglars broke open two ATMs at Thimmapur and Durshed on the outskirts of Karimnagar and escaped with Rs 15.68 lakh within 45 minutes. Police suspected the involvement of an interstate gang and formed special teams to trace the offenders.

In December 2025, thieves used gas cutters to steal around `39 lakh from two ATMs at Varni crossroads and Pangra in Nizamabad district in a span of 20 minutes.

These incidents have exposed security vulnerabilities at ATM kiosks particularly on highways and town outskirts, where public movement is less at night. Police are examining CCTV footage, vehicle movements and technical evidence to establish possible links between the different cases.

An official of the Shraddanandgunj branch of a bank in Nizamabad, Sheelam Shashi Kumar, told Deccan Chronicle that the bank remained alert against ATM thefts. Advanced technology in ATMs would alert bank staff and police personnel in the event of an attempted theft, he said.

Meanwhile, banks have removed security guards from ATMs in rural and urban areas. Several ATM cabins are also poorly maintained, with air-conditioning systems not functioning, making it difficult for customers to spend even a few minutes depositing or withdrawing cash.

The source said banks collect a minimum annual service charge of Rs 450 for each ATM card but fail to provide adequate services.

In the latest case, Kamareddy town police arrested Mahesh Gyanoba Binde, 33, a native of Parbhani district in Maharashtra, within hours of his attempt to break open the ATM on JPN Road. He was working as a musician at Valmiki Band Shop in Kamareddy. It looked like he attempted the theft to “repay a personal debt of Rs 10,000,” district SP Rajesh Chandra said.

Police tracked him down at the railway station while he was preparing to leave for his native place. An iron rod allegedly used in the crime, the removed CCTV cameras and the accused's mobile phone were seized.