Mumbai, April 26: The Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested four youths for allegedly stealing Rs 39.58 lakh from an ATM in the Sushant Golf City police station area. The incident had taken place on April 4. The police also managed to recover Rs 9.13 lakh from their possession, however, what caught their attention was the accused statements. After being arrested, the accused told cops that they were trained by an 'ATM Baba'.

Who Is the ATM Baba?

According to a report in the Times of India, the "ATM Baba" has been identified as Sudhir Mishra, a resident of Chappra, Bihar. Cops said that Mishra is well known as "ATM Baba" among his acquaintances, however, they also said that he is not a self-proclaimed godman. Police officials said that Mishra earned the nickname "ATM Baba" due to his skills as he trained unemployed youth on how to break ATMs in less than 15 minutes. ATM Fraud: New Modus Operandi of Fraudsters Comes to Light in Mumbai, Con Caught Red-Handed Using Sunmica and Glue To Steal Cash (Watch Video).

The incident came to light when cops were solving a theft case. In a bid to crack the case, police officials scanned at least 1000 CCTV footage, and mobile data and also checked over 20 toll nakas around Lucknow. "A CCTV grab from the house near the ATM was found during the probe. A blue-coloured car from which the miscreants had entered and fled the city was traced," a police officer said.

How Did "ATM Baba" Train the Accused?

During the investigation, coops managed to arrest the four accused involved in the theft. During interrogation, an accused named Neeraj said that they learned the tricks of the trade from Mishra. Police also learned that the so-called "ATM Baba" allegedly ran a gang and hired unemployed youths from different states across the country. ATM Robbery in UP: Thieves Use Gas Cutter, Decamp With ATM Machine with Rs 20.52 Lakh Cash in Basti (Watch Video).

Cops further said that the unemployed youths were brought to Chappra and given a three-month crash course in ATM theft. An officer said that Mishra aka ATM Baba taught them everything; from how to swiftly enter an ATM to cutting the ATM cash box and escape in less than 15 minutes. Interestingly, after training, the youths also went through a live demonstration. "Only those members who complete the task in 15 minutes or less are sent on field," the officer added.

As per police officials, the gang committed over 30 ATM theft cases in the last year across the country.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 26, 2023 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).