Tiruvallur thieves steal entire ATM machine containing cash

An entire white-label ATM was stolen from Koodapakkam near Vellavedu in the Tiruvallur district on Saturday. The machine, located along the Chennai–Tirupati National Highway, was discovered missing by customers on Saturday morning.

Preliminary investigations suggest the machine contained between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh. Unlike two previous ATM thefts in the region over the last two weeks, where criminals broke into the kiosks to extract cash, the perpetrators in this instance used a welding machine to cut through the structure and cart away the entire unit.

Police, including a team led by the Poonamallee Assistant Commissioner of Police, have deployed fingerprint experts and sniffer dogs to the scene. Investigators are currently reviewing CCTV footage from surrounding commercial units to identify the suspects and the vehicle used to transport the heavy machine. Authorities are also investigating whether this incident is linked to recent robberies in Somangalam and Gummidipoondi.