B'lore: Burglary attempt at Corp Bank ATM guard injured in attack

Kiosk has CCTV and burglar alarm installed

Barely a year after the murderous assault on a woman inside a Corporation Bank ATM kiosk in the City, another ATM of the same bank was attacked by armed robbers near Agara Junction of HSR Layout, early Saturday morning.

The robbers made a vain bid to break open the ATM but made good their escape when they heard the sound of an approaching vehicle.

Though the suspect who attacked the woman is yet to be nabbed, the police are more confident this time as the Closed-Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) installed inside the kiosk is intact and they are hopeful the footage will help them crack the case.

According to police, the wounded guard, Shamshul Khan, 20, a resident of HSR Layout and a native of Assam, was treated at Victoria Hospital and discharged in the evening.

The Corporation Bank ATM near Agara Junction is equipped with all security measures, including burglar alarm. The bank had appointed Junaid Khan as security guard at the ATM. Shamshul is Junaid’s brother and he had come to Bangalore only a couple of weeks ago. As Junaid was down with fever, he asked Shamshul to guard the ATM on Saturday night, the police said.

Shamshul was fast asleep inside the ATM kiosk when three men barged in around 5.15 am. When the guard resisted their attempt to break open the ATM, the armed robbers attacked him with a machete and he collapsed on the ground. Minutes later, the assailants heard a vehicle approaching and fled, police added.

Ramaswamy, another guard who came to relieve Shamsul in the morning, was shocked to see him lying bleeding and the kiosk vandalised. He called  the police, who rushed the injured guard to hospital, said the police.

A senior police official, who did not want to be named, said ATM theft bids were on the rise despite foolproof security measures and blamed bank managements for hiring guards without verifying their antecedents. Most banks were found to employ guards, who work elsewhere during the day, to guard ATMs at night for a meagre salary.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Kamal Pant told Deccan Herald, “It is purely the duty of the guard to provide security. But in this case, the guard had sent his brother as a substitute, which is not right. The police have gathered solid clues and are aware of the identity of the miscreants who committed the crime.”