Chennai: A team of burglars, suspected to be hailing from North India, broke open four bank ATMs on the Cuddalore-Chittoor Road (NH 38) and looted Rs 75 lakhs in Tiruvannamalai district early on Sunday.

Police sources told UNI that four ATMs, three belonged to the State Bank of India (SBI) and the other, a private ATM, belonged to India One.

The ATM heists came to light after police personnel noticed the damaged chest boxes in these ATMs during routine patrolling.

Out of the three ATMs of the SBI, two were located near the bus stand on Thandrampattu Main Road, near Goddess Mariamman temple in Tiruvannamalai town and near the railway station in Polur town.

Reports said the gang broke open the chest using gas welding machines and decamped with Rs 30 lakh, Rs 20 lakh and another Rs 20 lakh from these three ATMs respectively.

The fourth ATM, belonging to India One is located near Government Boys High School in Kalasapakkam town, from where Rs five lakh were looted.

North Zone Inspector General of Police (IG), who inspected the sports, said the same modus operandi was adopted in all the four ATMs, wherein they have used gas welding machines to break the cash chest.

After looting the money, the burglars have set fire to the machine.

Since CCTV cameras were installed in all the three SBI ATMs, police are verifying its footages to nab the burglars. There was no CCTV cameras in the other ATM.

Police have formed six special teams to probe the heist and one of them headed by a Superintendent of Police has rushed to Andhra Pradesh.

Kannan told reporters that though such types of burglary had taken place in Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, it was the first such incident in Tamil Nadu.

He said the burglars should be from North India and only those who are well versed with the functioning of the ATM would have committed the burglary.

The gang involved in the burglary should be well experienced, he said, adding, the Tamil Nadu-AP borders were sealed, check posts were put up and the vigil was intensified in all the neighbouring districts including Vellore, Ranipet and Tirupattur and in Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts.

Vehicle checks were also intensified on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border, leading to traffic snarls.

All four ATMs are located on the Cuddalore-Chittoor road with the average distance between the four ATMs being 20 km.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu DGP C.Sylendra Babu said the burglars were suspected to be from Haryana and a joint probe was on by Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Police.

He also said vehicle checks have been intensified, heightened vigil was being maintained in all the state borders to prevent the robbers from fleeing the State.

(With UNI inputs)