NOB-Kazipet news: The CCS and Kazipet police jointly apprehended seven criminals belonging to an interstate gang from Rajasthan who were breaking into ATM centers and committing thefts. The police seized Rs. 5,10,000 in cash, two cars, seven cell phones, iron plates used in the crime, and duplicate keys from them. The arrested accused are: 1. Arif Khan, age 23, Khareda village, 2. Sarfaraz, age 24, Bijwada Narok village, 3. M. Ash Mohammed, age 29, 4. Shapus Khan, age 33, Moreda village, 5. Shahrukh Khan, age 33, Moreda village, 6. Aslam Khan, age 33, Moreda village, 7. M. Shahrukhas, age 27, Mahavakard village, Sameer Khan, Khareda village. The police identified all the arrested accused as belonging to Malkida taluka, Alwar district, Rajasthan state. Regarding this arrest, Warangal Central Zone DCP Kavitha revealed the details, stating that since all the arrested accused belonged to the same area and knew each other, they used to drink alcohol and indulge in revelry together. As this income was not sufficient for their lavish lifestyle, the accused wanted to earn money easily. For this purpose, through an acquaintance, the gang members studied the flaws in the ATM machines manufactured by the Perot company, which are installed in SBI bank ATM centers. They also created duplicate keys to open these ATM machines. With these keys, the gang would first go to ATM centers that had Perot company machines. They would break into the ATM center and use their fake key to open the front panel of the ATM machine. They would then attach an iron plate with glue to the money dispensing slot in a way that would be undetectable. Due to this arrangement, when bank customers tried to withdraw money from the ATM, the money would get stuck inside the machine instead of coming out, because of the iron plate installed by the gang. Since no money came out of the ATM, the bank customer would assume there was a problem with the machine and leave. The gang members, who were observing the ATM from nearby, would then enter the ATM center, open the machine with their key, and steal the money that was stuck inside. Afterwards, the customer would receive a message on their phone indicating that cash had been withdrawn from the ATM. Following this, the customers filed complaints with the bank. In this manner, the accused committed thefts in several areas of Rajasthan state. Following numerous complaints received by bank officials regarding this type of theft, the bank authorities replaced the old ATM machines of the Perot company with new ones. This reduced the opportunities for the gang to commit thefts, leading the gang members to carry out more than 40 thefts in other states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, and Kerala, where similar ATM machines were located. This gang, arriving in Warangal in two cars to commit similar thefts, first identified ATM centers in the city with Perot ATM machines. From November of 2024 year until now, the gang members committed thefts in seven ATM centers, stealing a total of 12 lakh 10 thousand rupees. Four of these thefts occurred within the limits of the Subedari police station, while one each occurred within the limits of the Kazipet, Hanamkonda, and Mills Colony police stations. When customers complained to their respective banks about the missing cash, the banks informed FSS LTD (Financial Software Securities Limited), a third-party company responsible for ATM security and maintenance.  FSS LTD then filed complaints with the police. The alert police, under the supervision of Additional DCP Crimes Bala Swamy and Crime and Kazipet ACPs Sadayya and Prashanth Reddy, formed special investigation teams. Utilizing the technology available to them, the police identified the suspects and placed them under surveillance. On 28.12.2025 morning, the accused arrived in cars at the PERTO company’s ATM centers in the Kazipet Chowrasta area to commit another robbery.  They opened the ATM door when no one was around and were in the process of attaching an iron plate with a sticker to it when the police arrived. Upon seeing the police, they attempted to flee, but the police chased and apprehended them. During questioning, the accused confessed to the robberies they had committed.  During the investigation, it was revealed that several groups of young people from Rajasthan are forming gangs and committing similar crimes in various states across the country.  Until now, no such crimes had been reported anywhere. The Warangal police have alerted the bank officials about these ongoing crimes. The police officers who showed exceptional skill in apprehending the members of this gang include CCS Inspector Raghavender, Kazipet Inspector Sudhakar Reddy, AAO Salman Pasha, and Kazipet SIs Naveen Kumar and Lavan Kumar, along with other CCS personnel.