A gang from Mewat robbed Rs 72 lakhs from 4 ATMs on the same night in Tamil Nadu. Arif, who led the gang, and Azad, one of the members have been nabbed by TN police and sent to judicial custody. While it is the notorious Muslims of Mewat who have indulged in this crime, the media continues to call them “North Indians” and whip up hatred in an already charged atmosphere against Uttar Bharatiyas.
On February 12, the police on petrol in Tiruvannamalai town found ATM machines broken and the money robbed. 4 ATMs were burgled using the same method of opening them with gas welding machines. While the first two ATMs were burgled in the town, the other two were robbed in Kalasapakkam, located 25 km from Tiruvannamalai town, and in Polur, about 10 km from Kalasapakkam. 3 of the ATMs belong to the State Bank of India and the remaining one is an India One ATM. The robbery took place in the wee hours between 2 AM and 4 AM.
Robbers stole a car from Andhra Pradesh and used fake number plates to avoid detection. They also set fire to the ATM machines to erase the evidence. However, with the help of a few pieces of technical evidence, TN police were able to zero in on robbers from other states. A tip-off, reportedly from a robber nabbed by Karnataka police, helped identify them as professional thieves from the Mewat region of Haryana. TN police found their phone numbers and tracked them.
Mohammed Arif, head of the gang and a native of Nuh in Haryana, was arrested by TN police. He has reportedly confessed to the crime and revealed the names of others as well. Following his confession, S Azad from Paimakera village in Punhana district of Haryana was also arrested. The gang stayed in Kolar Gold Field(KGF) and planned the robbery. CCTV footage of them doing recce around the ATMs in Tiruvannamalai was found. Initial investigations revealed that Arif had knowledge about the working of ATM machines and taught others how to use gas welding machines to cut them open without burning the cash.
After the heist, they escaped to KGF by planning their escape route with the help of Google Maps to avoid checkposts and toll gates. They were reportedly planning another robbery after splitting the money as they were disappointed with the meager sum when police caught them. They committed robberies in a similar manner in other states as well. Arif and Azad have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody and lodged in Vellore Central Prison. Police have arrested a few more suspects and are interrogating them.
Even though the major criminals involved in this incident are Muslims from the notorious Mewat region, the media continues to call them “North Indians” putting a target on non-Tamil migrant workers in the state. Tamil nationalists and Dravidianists who have been spearheading the campaign against migrant laborers have been demanding on social media that TN should implement the Inner Line Permit to curb the influx of migrant laborers and chase away those who have already “infiltrated” the state.
This hatred is further fanned by power-hungry politicians who vilify every ordinary non-Tamil. A few days ago, a Hindu migrant worker from West Bengal who lost his way back to his construction site was mistaken as a thief and lynched to death by locals. Earlier, a poor Hindu youth selling candy on the streets of Coimbatore became a victim of this hate propaganda. He was attacked by locals who mistook him for a child lifter when he tried to help a girl child cross the road.
