Temporary bank staff held for ATM heist;Rs 21.6 lakh recovered

Cracking the ATM heist near here within a day, police today arrested a 23-year-old bank employee for allegedly looting the money and recovered Rs 21.6 lakh stolen cash.
Rajendran, working with the Canara Bank as a temporary staff on daily wage basis, was arrested after intense interrogation during which he admitted to having stolen the cash from the ATM using its password and a key to open the main chamber without damaging the machine, police said.
The money was found missing from the ATM yesterday at suburban Thavalakuppam with no signs of use of force and the machine remaining intact.

The theft had come to light when the ATM watchman found the cabin door open in the wee hours when he returned after being away for a short while and informed the bank officials.
DIG of Police Kannan Jagadeesan told reporters that police had summoned all staff engaged by the bank in loading cash in the ATM and grilled them when Rajendran admitted his crime.
Rajendran used to accompany the staff during the loading of the ATM with cash and had familiarised himself with password.
A police team headed by Senior Superintendent V J Chandran and comprising Superintendent of Police V Deivasigamani recovered the cash packed in a gunny bag and kept hidden outside the house of a relative of Rajendran without their knowledge, the DIG said.