Thaindian News

Hoshiarpur (Punjab), Aug 2 (IANS) It took an ‘inspiration’ from a similar crime in California state in the US and posted on internet website ‘YouTube’ for two youth in this Punjab town to take away the automated teller machine (ATM) of a leading private bank here Friday.
This was revealed Sunday during the interrogation of both youths, Lovepreet Singh and Satinderjit Singh, students of first year in a college here, after they were arrested for the crime by Punjab Police.

The police, who recovered the ATM Saturday morning, were able to nab the two boys Sunday. One of the boys is the son of the district jail superintendent, Satpal Singh.

The crime was committed about 1 km from the prison complex.

The youth told police officials that they felt confident of stealing the whole ATM machine after watching the video of a similar crime committed in the US and posted on internet website YouTube.

“The accused had seen videos on YouTube and other websites to loot the ATM. They wanted to know what steps to follow in committing the crime,” HOspiarpur district police chief Pramod Ban said.

They purchased a gas cylinder, gas cutter and a oxygen cylinder to commit the crime.

Both youth took away the whole ATM machine, containing over Rs 500,000, after beating up the bank guard, Sandeep Singh. They put the ATM machine in their Maruti Zen car after stealing it from an ATM booth at Shimla Pahadi (hill), a prominent place of this town.

However, two policemen who saw them fleeing gave them a chase resulting in the car and the ATM being recovered. The youth, who fled leaving these things behind, were nabbed later.