Bangalore ATM attacker identified; hunt on to nab him

New Delhi, Nov 21: Two days after a woman bank officer was brutally attacked inside an unguarded

kiosk in Bangalore, Karanataka police chief today said the assailant has been identified and efforts are on to catch him.

"The man has been identified by CCTV photo. We are making efforts to arrest the person," Karnataka Director General of Police (DGP) Lalrokhuma Pachuau told reporters here. He said the district police officers in the state had carried out a census of ATM machines and it was found that there was a proliferation of ATMs of nationalised and private banks everywhere in Bangalore.

"Some months ago the district police (were asked) to do a census of ATMs. A sub inspector or an inspector of a police station must know how many ATMs are there in his jurisdiction and where they are and of which bank. So that has been done," said the DGP, who was here to attend a conference of DGPs and IGPs.

Pachuau said police is in touch with banks representatives to ensure security at ATM kiosks. "In Bangalore city, we had been seeing attacks on ATMs occassionally. Then we had arranged a meeting with the bank manager and the representatives of all the banks some time ago to revive some means of security at ATMs either by CCTV or by deploying a security guard or even armed guards where it is necessary," the DGP said.

The 38-year-old victim, a manager with the Corporation Bank, was repeatedly hit with the machete by the assailant shortly after she entered the ATM kiosk around 7 am on Tuesday. The gory act caught on CCTV footage had sparked a public outrage.

PTI