NEW DELHI: Had it not been for two smart Delhi Police beat officers, another city ATM would have been robbed early Saturday morning. This time, by a young Rohini businessman who had geared himself to the hilt and set out to rob an ATM in the neighbourhood. The motive, investigators said, was to recover the heavy losses he had suffered in his business.
When the two policemen spotted a Honda Accord car parked outside an ATM that had its shutter rolled down and lights switched off, they suspected something amiss. They entered the ATM and found a young man, later identified as Chander Bhan, in a cap fitted with glowing LED lights. He had a pair of goggles on. A handkerchief masked his face and his fingers were wrapped in tapes. The floor was cluttered with tools - among these was a mini gas cutter that was still emitting a flame. A pistol, which later turned out to be a toy gun, and a knife were tucked in his belt.
Taken aback by the sight, the policemen realised that the man was about to cut the ATM. He had already broken its outer lid and was about to reach the cash box. The policemen swiftly overpowered him and took him to the police station.
The Rohini businessman, who was caught stealing money from an ATM, has divulged shocking details during interrogation. He had spent considerable time and effort to plan the operation. But, he ran out of luck when the policemen got suspicious after they spotted his big car parked right outside the dark ATM.
"The businessman gave his name as Chander Bhan (32). He lived in Rohini with his wife and son and belongs to Mathura, he told us. A post graduate in commerce, Bhan dealt in plastics but suffered heavy losses. He tried his luck with several other business ventures but they bombed. His savings were drying up fast and he was struggling to maintain his life style and even the car," B S Jaiswal, DCP Outer, said.
He was desperate and looking for options to wipe out his losses, when the idea to rob an ATM struck him while watching a crime-investigation show on Discovery Channel. To execute his plan, he trawlled the net and researched extensively, the police said. While watching these programmes, he noticed how investigators probed such crimes and picked up clues.
Then he launched the next two steps - find a suitable ATM to rob and gather tools. After exploring several in the neighbourhood, he picked one nearby. This one was isolated and had no guards.
Before he went in for the kill, he meticulously prepared a check list of must-have tools. This included screwdrivers, a crowbar, a cutter, a sharp knife, a toy gun which looked real and medical tapes to cover the finger tips. To cut open the ATM, he bought a mini gas cutter.
His plan was to switch the ATM lights off and then cut open the chest. So, he thought of a bright idea to have a light focused on the machine and keep his hands free. "He fitted his cap with battery-powered LED lights. The batteries were fitted at the back of the cap where a switch was also located.
This involved quite a bit of engineering. First, he designed a circuit with silicon chips concealed inside the layers of cloth in the cap. The police subsequently informed the bank that owns the ATM. They confirmed that the Rs 16 lakh stored in the machine was intact..
Broke businessman nabbed during ATM break-in - The Times of India
poor felllow did not do his homework well
When the two policemen spotted a Honda Accord car parked outside an ATM that had its shutter rolled down and lights switched off, they suspected something amiss. They entered the ATM and found a young man, later identified as Chander Bhan, in a cap fitted with glowing LED lights. He had a pair of goggles on. A handkerchief masked his face and his fingers were wrapped in tapes. The floor was cluttered with tools - among these was a mini gas cutter that was still emitting a flame. A pistol, which later turned out to be a toy gun, and a knife were tucked in his belt.
Taken aback by the sight, the policemen realised that the man was about to cut the ATM. He had already broken its outer lid and was about to reach the cash box. The policemen swiftly overpowered him and took him to the police station.
The Rohini businessman, who was caught stealing money from an ATM, has divulged shocking details during interrogation. He had spent considerable time and effort to plan the operation. But, he ran out of luck when the policemen got suspicious after they spotted his big car parked right outside the dark ATM.
"The businessman gave his name as Chander Bhan (32). He lived in Rohini with his wife and son and belongs to Mathura, he told us. A post graduate in commerce, Bhan dealt in plastics but suffered heavy losses. He tried his luck with several other business ventures but they bombed. His savings were drying up fast and he was struggling to maintain his life style and even the car," B S Jaiswal, DCP Outer, said.
He was desperate and looking for options to wipe out his losses, when the idea to rob an ATM struck him while watching a crime-investigation show on Discovery Channel. To execute his plan, he trawlled the net and researched extensively, the police said. While watching these programmes, he noticed how investigators probed such crimes and picked up clues.
Then he launched the next two steps - find a suitable ATM to rob and gather tools. After exploring several in the neighbourhood, he picked one nearby. This one was isolated and had no guards.
Before he went in for the kill, he meticulously prepared a check list of must-have tools. This included screwdrivers, a crowbar, a cutter, a sharp knife, a toy gun which looked real and medical tapes to cover the finger tips. To cut open the ATM, he bought a mini gas cutter.
His plan was to switch the ATM lights off and then cut open the chest. So, he thought of a bright idea to have a light focused on the machine and keep his hands free. "He fitted his cap with battery-powered LED lights. The batteries were fitted at the back of the cap where a switch was also located.
This involved quite a bit of engineering. First, he designed a circuit with silicon chips concealed inside the layers of cloth in the cap. The police subsequently informed the bank that owns the ATM. They confirmed that the Rs 16 lakh stored in the machine was intact..
Broke businessman nabbed during ATM break-in - The Times of India
poor felllow did not do his homework well
