Banks demand safety of ATMs, branches – The Tribune India

Tribune News Service

Vijay C Roy

Chandigarh, May 29

On May 11, robbers uprooted a State Bank of India ATM and decamped with Rs 20.76 lakh in Karnal.

On April 13, three miscreants used a gas cutter to get into the ATM of Punjab National Bank at JMIT Radaur, due to which a fire broke out and a loss of Rs Rs 9.05 lakh was reported.

On April 9, four persons uprooted the ATM of Punjab National Bank’s ATM with the help of Scorpio car and fled with Rs 18,41,600 at Shahbad, Kurukshetra.

Loot Modus operandi different every time

The modus operandi of loot is different every time. It is causing a huge loss to banks. We have approached the state government to supplement our efforts in ensuring security of ATMs as well as branches. —A banker

These are not isolated examples. In the past year, instances of looting in banks and ATMs in the state have increased significantly.

More than a dozen a cases of ATM looting have been reported by the banks in the past year.

The examples clearly state that the misery of the banking sector in Haryana is not limited to banks as even ATMs are not immune to incidents of theft and loot.

Worried over the increasing cases of loot, bankers have requested the state government to supplement the efforts of bank in providing security and safety of ATMs and bank branches.

The issue was discussed at the recently concluded state-level meeting of the bankers’ committee, which was convened to review the performance of banks in the state for the fiscal year 2021-22.

“It has come to the notice of bankers that ATMs and branches are constantly being targeted by miscreants. The modus operandi is different every time, causing a huge loss to banks and inconvenience to customers. We have approached the state government to supplement our efforts in ensuring security of ATMs as well as branches,” said a banker.

Most of the ATMs in the state are attached to the branch premises and located at secured areas. Despite that, miscreants are targeting the kiosks.

In majority of the cases, the modus operandi is that the robbers enter the ATM booth and fiddle with the CCTV before decamping with cash.

In order to avoid more loots, banks have already been asked for ensuring adequate security arrangements at the ATM booths such as high-resolution CCTVs covering different angles, e-surveillance through the CCTVs, e-alarm system, security guards, quick response teams, grouting of ATM to solid structures to avoid uprooting.

As on March 31, 2022, the state has 7,051 ATMs and 4,990 branches of different banks, including public, private and cooperatives. Of the total, the maximum number of ATMs is in urban areas (4,389), followed by semi-urban (1,713) and rural areas (949).

Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/banks-demand-safety-of-atms-branches-399449