A woman bank employee was mercilessly attacked by an armed assailant inside an ATM kiosk here early on Tuesday morning.

The attempted robbery on Corporation Bank section officer Jyothi Uday had the city shell-shocked as CCTV footage flashed across television screens dramatically brought home the full extent of the brutality.

Hit repeatedly on her head and face with a machete, Jyothi suffered severe injuries. But she survived and regained consciousness later to recall the drama in all its horrid detail to the police. 

Her state could have been worse, if two schoolchildren had not raised an alarm after spotting blood flowing out of the ATM kiosk near Town Hall. The assailant had fled the kiosk, partially closing the rolling shutters. His identity is yet to be revealed.

Three hours later, alerted by the children, a traffic constable rushed the victim to Victoria Hospital. She was later shifted to BGS Global Hospital and her condition is said to be stable.

High drama

But the episode would keep haunting 44-year-old Jyothi, a resident of Rajarajeshwarinagar and a section manager in-charge of cheque truncation system with Corporation Bank, Service Branch, Mission Road.

The high drama began to unfold early on Tuesday. Jyothi was on morning shift starting at 7:30 am. Following her daily routine, she had taken a bus from Rajarajeshwarinagar to Corporation bus stop, and walked down to the LIC building where the bank is housed. 

Having arrived half an hour early on Tuesday, Jyothi chose to withdraw some money from the ATM kiosk nearby. The assailant was round the corner, watching her from a short distance. 

As the CCTV camera inside the kiosk continued to roll, Jyothi walked in at 7:10 am sharp. But even before she could approach the machine, the well-built assailant rushed in with a shoulder bag, pulling down the shutter behind him at lightning pace. Caught unawares, Jyothi cried out in panic, only to be silenced.

The next few minutes turned agonising for her. The four-minute video footage accessed by Deccan Herald shows the culprit in a blue-check shirt pulling out a weapon that resembled a pistol. 

Later, the victim told the police that she was threatened and asked to withdraw cash from the ATM. When she resisted, he pushed her to a corner and brandished a machete.

In desperation, Jyothi tried to get away. The culprit turned violent at this stage, viciously hitting her on the head with the machete. She sank in a pool of blood.

The attacker wiped the blood off the machete with the woman’s napkin, picked up her mobile phone and deposited it in his bag before getting out.  

The CCTV footages helped the police capture the bare details of the suspect. “He had not masked his face; he is aged between 35 and 38 years. The CCTV has captured every movement. There are definite leads and we will shortly arrest him,” Ulsoor Gate sub-division ACP Siddaramaiah said. 

Jyothi Uday had not withdrawn money. The suspect did not rob her of her valuables and did not use her ATM card to withdraw money.

Jyothi Uday is married with a son. Her husband works for an organisation in Mysore and commutes between Bangalore and Mysore every day.