Two youth hailing from Hindupur allegedly tried to steal money from an ATM at Kodigennahalli in Parigi Mandal and even broke it open, but failed to retrieve money, in the early hours of Friday. Peeved at their failure, the duo poured petrol on the machine and set it on fire.
Both of them suffered burns in the process and returned home in Hindupur. When the Parigi police got the news, they went to the ATM kiosk and found currency notes valued at ₹6,07,400 reduced to ashes along with the kiosk. The CCTV camera and its drive too were burnt, leaving no clues for the police.
The police, however, found a mobile phone on the spot. Even as they were making their own investigation, a call from mother of one of the accused youth Manoj Kumar, 21, provided them a clue. She had returned on Friday evening from Penukonda to Hindupur and the youth supposed to be alone at home, did not open the door.
When the neighbours broke open the door, they found Manoj hanging and severe burn injuries were found on his body. The Hidupur I Town police registered a suicide case unaware of his role in the alleged ATM kiosk incident. When his mother called his number, Parigi Sub-Inspector P. Sreenivasulu posed as a local, who had found the phone and asked for their address to return it.
By the time Parigi police landed in Hindupur, they saw the body being examined by the Hindupur police and the entire incident fell in place. The other accused, Naveen, reportedly left for Bengaluru for better treatment for his burn injuries and is said to be stable as of Saturday afternoon. The police have registered a case and are waiting for Naveen, 23, to get discharged from the hospital for further investigation.
