Namakkal: Haryana gang member shot dead by TN police after filmi-style chase

A suspect was killed and another injured in an encounter with police in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal on Friday (September 27) while trying to escape in a container truck loaded with approximately ₹65 lakh in cash stolen from multiple ATM break-ins in Kerala over recent weeks.

The Namakkal police reported that an armed gang of robbers from Haryana utilised Google Maps to locate SBI ATMs and tampered with the machines to steal cash.

The police intercepted the robbers when they tried to flee in a container vehicle, which was carrying a car used during the theft. The police were alerted by their counterparts in Kerala following which they tracked the container.

High-speed chase

As Tamil Nadu police intensified checking along the Salem-Kochi highway, a container truck reached the Pachapalayam area, but when the driver refused to stop, it resulted in a high-speed chase.

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The gang drove recklessly, injuring three persons on the road and later attacking the Namakkal police, who pursued them for 4 km.

The police indicated that three robberies committed by the Haryana gang occurred between 2 am and 4 am on Friday at different locations in Thrissur, Kerala. They sprayed paint on CCTV cameras and used gas cutters to access cash trays.

After the burglaries, the gang initially fled in a car but later switched to the container truck to evade arrest. Thanks to intelligence inputs from Kerala, police apprehended the gang on the Salem-Kochi highway.

Forced to open fire

Salem DIG ES Uma informed the media that when two individuals, including the driver, threw stones and attempted to attack with weapons, police were forced to open fire, resulting in the death of a suspect named Juman (40) and the arrest of six others. Two officers injured during the chase are currently undergoing treatment.

DIG Uma explained the gang's modus operandi, stating they operated using a container truck to target ATM kiosks. “They told us that they chose SBI ATMs because they were always filled with cash. They used Google Maps to locate ATMs for robbery, employed gas cutters to break into them, and in some instances, fled with the entire machine to later dismantle it in a secluded area. The gang was wanted for ATM robberies in Chittoor, Hyderabad, and Thrissur,” she said.

Six accused nabbed

When asked why the encounter could not be avoided, she noted that the gang was throwing stones and using weapons, injuring bystanders as they tried to escape.

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“Our officers issued warnings, but the gang refused to comply and attacked our team. In order to protect themselves, they shot one individual, but the other six were apprehended and are now in our custody,” she explained.

She also mentioned that CCTV footage revealed the gang wore masks to conceal their identities and sprayed paint on cameras during the robberies.