SBI ATM catches fire during suspected loot bid

Rourkela: ATM loot incidents are on the rise in Rourkela as one more State Bank of India ATM on the premises of CWS Hospital in Adarshapalli under Jhiripani police limits here caught fire during a suspected loot bid by miscreants late Monday night. This is the fourth such loot incident reported in a span of four days in Rourkela.

It is suspected that miscreants used gas cutters to break open the ATM machine but somehow the machine caught fire.

Soon after the incident, miscreants fled the spot leaving behind the gas cylinder, auto-rickshaw and other equipment they had carried along with them.

"We noticed at around 4.25am, fire tenders were engaged in dousing the flames. When we asked them they said the ATM caught fire during a loot bid. Being a crowded place, it is surprising how miscreants even attempted to loot," said a local.

However, whether the cash in ATM was looted or burnt into ashes has not been confirmed though police has initiated an investigation into the incident.

On January 20, SBI and Canara Bank ATMs were allegedly looted by miscreants, while the next day on January 21, one more ATM in the civil township was reportedly found broken.