Loot and Chase: All About the Thrissur ATM Heist

A major ATM heist followed by a 17-kilometre chase across two states early Friday morning was full of drama!  

The incident started when a gang had looted the cash from ATMs in Thrissur and hid their car inside the truck to flee without police knowing.

Tamil Nadu Police in a long chase finally intercepted a container truck carrying Rs 65 lakh stolen from several ATMs in Kerala. The chase ended in Namakkal district, where a suspect was shot dead after allegedly attacking the police. Police seized the cash and weapons from the vehicle.

The ‘Loot’

The gang looted Rs 65 lakh from three State Bank of India ATMs in Kerala’s Thrissur district, between 2:30 AM and 4 AM on Friday. 

They targeted ATMs in Mapranam, Kolazhy, and Shornur Road near Swaraj Round. They  came fully prepared with gas cutters, using to break into the machines and spray paint to block surveillance cameras, successfully escaping with the cash.

The investigation is ongoing, with police intensifying their efforts to track down the rest of the gang members involved in the theft. The swift, coordinated execution of the crime has raised concerns over ATM security in the area.

The Police Response

After Thrissur Police got the information of the robbery, they quickly began tracking CCTV footage to trace the movements of the gang’s white Creta. As similar incidents of robberies were reported in nearby areas, the police alerted the Police in Palakkad, Coimbatore, and Salem. The gang’s vehicle later came under police radar, only after it got involved in a minor accident.

When officers attempted to intercept the gang’s lorry, the suspects refused to stop, speeding away and allegedly attacking the police. 

The police reportedly opened fire, resulting in the death of one gang member on Friday. The police then surrounded the vehicle and arrested the remaining suspects. 

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The Creta Car Hid in the Truck

Something unusual came as a shock to Police! A large container truck that appeared on the footage around the same time the robbers’ white Creta vanished from sight. How?

The car had been spotted along the Thrissur-Coimbatore highway, but it mysteriously disappeared. Investigators soon theorised that the gang had hidden the Creta inside the container. It prompted an emergency alert to Tamil Nadu police to track the vehicle.

A senior officer involved in the operation revealed that the search spanned several districts, including Coimbatore, Tirupur, Salem, Namakkal, and Krishnagiri. Around 9 AM, a container truck broke through a police barricade in Komarapalayam, Namakkal. After a 17-kilometre chase, the police stopped the truck and found the white Creta inside, along with Rs 65 lakh and six gang members.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the robbers may be from Haryana or Rajasthan. They were part of a larger criminal network responsible for ATM heists across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. 

The Thrissur ATM robbery had a similar pattern with thefts that took place two months earlier in Andhra Pradesh. Nearly Rs 30 lakh was stolen. 

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