CHENNAI: A seven-member gang from West Bengal stole a hearse parked with its key inside and used it to cart away an ATM containing about Rs 12 lakh from Koodapakkam near Poonamallee on Sept 5. Three members of the gang have been arrested in Kerala, while four others are on the run.Police said the ATM kiosk, located along the Poonamallee-Tirupati Highway at Mettu Kandigai, had neither a CCTV camera nor a burglar alarm. The gang had surveyed ATM kiosks at several places for nearly a month and conducted a recce of this particular kiosk at least five times before zeroing in on it.Police said the gang spotted a hearse parked on the roadside at Naduveerpattu and stole it to transport the machine, believing a funeral vehicle was less likely to be stopped during their getaway. They then removed the cash, abandoned the hearse, and fled the scene.A team headed by Avadi deputy commissioner Vinoth Santharam formed five special teams and examined footage from nearly 300 CCTV cameras along the gang’s possible escape routes.Further analysis of CCTV footage and mobile phone signals led police to Sameer, 36, Rasool, 30, and Masoom, 53, all from West Bengal. The trio were traced to Kerala and arrested, and recovered Rs 2 lakh from them.
