Electronic surveillance mounted by South Indian Bank has helped it foil yet another bid to loot an ATM - this time at Udiyankulangara, a satellite town near here last night.

A two-member gang has been picked up by the Thiruvananthapuram police after the Kochi-based centralised surveillance facility tipped off the police.

MANAGER CALLED

The Kochi centre had alerted the Assistant Manager at his residence who in turn called in the police to the site.

The gang was tracked down after the police checked the registration number of a two-wheeler parked during the small hours of Friday near the ATM.

The police revealed that the accused had done a recce of the ATM around midnight and had returned two hours later.

They gained entry into the ATM and started tampering with the teller machine when the alarm went off, startling the duo.

They rushed out leaving the two-wheeler behind that ultimately helped the police chase them down in two hours flat.

BIDS FOILED

This is the latest in the series of events in which the Thrissur-based bank has foiled attempted burglary at its ATMs through effective e-surveillance.

Cameras monitor 75 per cent of the 921-strong network on a 24x7 basis from a centralised location in Kochi, VA Joseph, Managing Director and CEO, had told Business Line a recent chat.

The remaining ATMs were being covered in phases, according to CP Gireesh, Chief Financial Officer of the bank.

The person manning the monitoring centre alerts the staff staying nearest the affected ATM who in turn sounds out the local police for help.

The bank had also been able to cut down on maintenance costs as it did not need to engage the services of security guards.

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