In the wake of recent heists from two ATMs in Jalandhar, the district administration on Sunday directed the bank officials to appoint security guards at their ATMs otherwise branch manager will be held responsible in eventuality of any thefts in the future.
District Magistrate KK Yadav said: “Under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), all the banks have been asked to recruit security guards at their ATMs.”
The branch manager will be held responsible for ATM thefts in future, if the banks fail to follow the instruction, he added.
Yadav said that the banks have been asked not to open any ATM without authorisation from the district administration.
The commissionerate and the rural police have also been informed about the new directives, he said.
In last fortnight, about Rs 15 lakh have been looted from the ATMs of Punjab National Bank and the State Bank of India.