Four persons allegedly trying to uproot an ATM (automated teller machine) of a nationalized bank in Gariaband were nabbed after a brief gun fight, police said here on Thursday.
The accused were members of the inter-state Mewati Gang and a few days back they had looted an ATM in Odisha’s Dharamgarh. Bolstered by their success, they tried to repeat their crime in Chhattisgarh but their plans finally put them behind the bar.
On the intervening night of Wednesday-Thursday, police received information from bank officials that an ATM in Gariaband was being robbed. Police, swung into acting immediately and reached at the spot and found five persons trying to uproot the ATM, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Raipur Anand Chhabra told reporters.
“After seeing the cops, they tried to run away in the pick-up van (OD-05, U-3456) which they had stolen from Odisha. The accused then fired on police personnel with 315-bore country-made pistol, however, police kept on chasing them and finally nabbed the accused in the forest near Mohra bridge, Gariaband” the IGP said.
A 315-bore country-made pistol, three round live cartridges, one fired cartridge, gas cutter kit, rope, knife, iron rod and other things were recovered from their possession, he said.
The accused were identified as Azad Khan alias Ajju, Junaid Khan, Ashr-Ud-Din, Ikram and Irshad, all natives of Mewat district of Haryana, he added.
According to police the Azad Khan was the master mind of the gang who used to work as JCB driver in Umarkot region of Odisha.