Man known for dismantling ATM machines in 30 minutes arrested

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A 33-year-old man, who is said to be an expert in opening automatic teller machines (ATM), was arrested along with two accomplices in Bengaluru for stealing Rs 27.8 lakhs from a machine in the city on August 8.

According to a report in the Times of India, the man, identified as Samarjyot Singh alias Gurmeet Singh, used to cut open ATM machines in 30 minutes and would flee even before the sirens would go off.

The police have also arrested his accomplices - Jaffer AV (30) and Yahya (27) - and recovered Rs 17.3 lakh cash, a high-end car, 2 two-wheelers, gas cylinder and tools from their possession. The police said that the trio spent Rs 10 lakh on liquor and women, and they bought the car from a second-hand car dealer.

According to the police, Singh has been breaking into ATM kiosks since last year. An officer said that in his first attempt, he had stolen Rs 23 lakh from a kiosk. Since then he has stolen from three kiosks across Bengaluru. The officer also said that Singh took five hours to open an ATM machine in his first attempt, but later he managed to dismantle other machines in 30 minutes.

The police added that two of the three men are history sheeters. Singh was earlier arrested in a murder case in Punjab in 2004 and was released in bail in 2009. He then changed his name to Samarjyot and fled Punjab. He moved to Bengaluru in 2015 where he used to work in hotels and eateries and would rob people. He was arrested last year for an ATM heist and was released on bail in June. The police added that the Jaffer was earlier arrested in drug peddling charges.

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