Police use tech to catch ATM van thieves, recover Rs 66 lakh cash
The police apprehended all three suspects who pilfered the cash and concealed it within a hollow banyan tree.
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ONGOLE: The Prakasam Police used advanced technology to catch those responsible for stealing Rs 66 lakh from an ATM cash-filling van in Ongole town. The stolen money was found hidden in a banyan tree.
The incident happened near the Punjab National Bank ATM in Ongole on Thursday and involved Sannamuru Mahesh Babu (22), a former CMS employee, Racharla Rajasekhar (19), and Gujjula Venkata Kondareddy (40), branch manager of CMS Ongole.
According to Prakasam SP Garud Sumit Aunil, CMS security company personnel were transporting Rs 68 lakh from their branch to refill cash at various ATMs. They parked their vehicle near Verma Hotel on Kurnool Road, went to lunch, and returned to find Rs 66 lakh missing.
The police apprehended Mahesh Babu from Pernamitta using advanced technical tools. During interrogation, he revealed where he had hidden the money - in the cavity of a banyan tree. This information led to the arrest of Rajasekhar and Konda Reddy, accomplices caught at the CMS office in Lingareddy Colony.