Hyderabad: A month before allegedly stealing ₹7.4 lakh from an Axis Bank ATM in Shamshabad, a gang brought gas-cutting equipment and spray paint to Hyderabad and concealed them in bushes at Pahadishareef. Police arrested one of the five accused, a 34-year-old truck driver from Rajasthan with 46 criminal cases registered against him in Haryana and Delhi. Four others remain absconding.The arrested accused, Rashid alias Kakoo, was traced to Gollapally X Roads in Shamshabad using technical evidence and call detail records, police said. Rashid and an associate, Shamshuddin, had allegedly hidden the equipment nearly a month before the theft. Rashid later returned with three others, and the gang allegedly stole a motorcycle and a car to facilitate the operation.On Oct 6, the gang targeted an Axis Bank ATM at its Satamrai branch. While one member spray-painted CCTV cameras, Rashid allegedly disabled the alarm system. The gang then used a gas cutter to break open the machine and remove its cash trays.The theft came to light after the bank’s Mumbai command centre received an alert about suspicious activity at 3.28 am. A cash reconciliation revealed a shortage of ₹7.4 lakh.The accused allegedly fled towards Patancheru and abandoned the car before travelling through Zaheerabad, Nanded, Amravati, Akola and Indore to Kota in Rajasthan.During interrogation, Rashid allegedly told police that the stolen money was divided among the gang members on a sleeper bus. He received ₹90,000 and had spent ₹85,500, police said.The Task Force seized ₹4,500 in cash, the car, motorcycle, gas cutter, cylinder and two mobile phones, collectively valued at ₹1.8 lakh. Rashid is also accused in vehicle theft cases in Pahadishareef and Saidabad. Further investigation is underway.
