The spurt in incidents of crime at ATMs in the city has created a sense of dissatisfaction and insecurity among the customers. There were cases of skimming, attacking the customer at ATM and breaking into cash chests at ATM recorded in the recent past. To handle the situation, security agencies are taking up surprise check on the night shift guards.
Preeti, a professional working at Somajiguda says, “I usually finish work quite late and one doesn’t feel very safe about withdrawing money from an ATM at night, especially in lesser crowded areas. Most times, the guards on duty are sleeping and the CCTV is usually ‘under repair’. I think the ATM security should be taken more seriously.”
Some customers say they feel safe in bank than in ATM considering the security at ATM. “I prefer to go the old way and do money transactions through banks. There has to be a better and responsive security than a lone guard,” said Vijay Singh, a retired Army officer. There are approximately 1500 ATMs of various nationalised and private banks in the city.
It becomes tedious and impossible for police to supervise the security at all the ATMs. Police take help of CCTVs installed at the ATMs to nab the offender. In a recent incident where an offender broke in at a private bank ATM in masab tank and did away with Rs 20 lakh, CCTV footage helped police nab offender. “The target is usually the ATMs without guards. The security agencies and banks should ensure the CCTVs are functioning and see to it that the guards are alert,” said V. Harshavardhan Raju, OSD Saifabad who investigated the Masab Tank ATM theft.
“ATMs are a boon to banking sector. We are also concerned about the safety of customers. At times, we get complaints from customers about the lack of security, but we are trying our best,” a bank official said.