Karnataka ATM loot: Robbers who shot dead two security guards in Bidar identified

G Parameshwara opined that the robbers must have monitored the cash transportation mechanism for a very long time and carried out the crime.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday that the two robbers who shot dead the two security guards and decamped with ₹92 lakh cash meant for filling the SBI ATM in Bidar on January 16 have been identified.

The robbers fled the spot in a bike, carrying the cash filled trunk.(X)

He also said that efforts are on to secure them and police teams have gone to Indore in Madhya Pradesh and other possible places where the robbers could belong to.

"Both of them have been identified. They are being followed," Parameshwara told reporters. According to him, the assailants fled to Hyderabad after the crime.

The robbers fled the spot in a bike, carrying the cash filled trunk, he said.

SBI has assigned a Hyderabad-based firm to fill the ATMs, Parameshwara added.

"Usually gunmen accompany when such a huge amount of cash is transported. Unfortunately, yesterday there was no gunman in the vehicle," the Minister said.

He opined that the robbers must have monitored the cash transportation mechanism for a very long time and carried out the crime. The robbers shot dead two security guards, Giri Venkatesh and Shiva Kashinath, before decamping with the cash meant for filling the SBI ATM in the district headquarters town of Bidar on Thursday.

The deceased were the staff of CMS Agency, police said. The staff had come to the ATM located on the busy Shivaji Chowk to fill the cash at 11.30 am, they said. Sources said the robbers fired eight rounds.

According to the DH report, eyewitnesses said the assailants fired shots into the air to deter onlookers who attempted to intervene by throwing stones. Despite the chaos, the suspects managed to flee the busy area, which is located near key landmarks such as the Deputy Commissioner’s office and the district court complex.

(With PTI inputs)