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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [CRIME]

2 clusters · 6 sources · 12 days · First seen 16 days ago · Last updated 5 days ago

ATM heist series in Tamil Nadu

Overview

In early September 2026, a series of ATM thefts occurred across the Chennai and Tiruvallur regions of Tamil Nadu. One notable incident near Vellavedu involved thieves using a welding machine to cut through a structure and steal an entire white-label ATM containing an estimated Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

By mid-September, Tamil Nadu police arrested three men from West Bengal in connection with the robberies. The suspects allegedly posed as scrap collectors to scout locations. The investigation revealed that the gang used methods such as gas cutters and paint to disable CCTV cameras. The wave of crimes also exposed security vulnerabilities, including a bank alert system that relayed information to a control room in Mumbai rather than local authorities, which delayed the police response.

Entities

Avadi City Police · Hitachi · Tamil Nadu · Tiruvallur district · Axis Bank

Timeline

5 days ago

[CRIME] 6 sources
Tamil Nadu police arrest three men for series of ATM heists
Tamil Nadu police arrested three men from West Bengal for a series of ATM heists in Chennai and Tiruvallur, exposing security loopholes in unmanned kiosks.
16 days ago

[CRIME] 2 sources
Tiruvallur thieves steal entire ATM machine containing cash
Thieves stole an entire ATM machine containing an estimated Rs 5–10 lakh from Koodapakkam in Tiruvallur, marking the third such heist in the region within two weeks.

Sources

bhaskarlive.in · dtnext.in · medicaldialogues.in · newindianexpress.com · socialnews.xyz · thepatriot.in