Lucknow, Jan 11 (IANS): A gang of thieves dismantled an ATM machine using a gas cutter and decamped with about Rs 20.52 lakh cash stored in it in the Kaptanganj area of Basti district.

Superintendent of Police Ashish Srivastava said that the police received a call from the Mumbai head office of the bank about an emergency alarm.

SHO Kaptanganj Shashank Shekhar instantly checked the three ATMs of the same bank in the area and found nothing unusual," said Srivastava.

However, later, some commuters spotted smoke billowing out from an ATM kiosk under a flyover in the same area and informed the police.

A police team reached the spot and found that the thieves had taken away the cash box and the front part of the ATM machine after cutting it with a gas cutter.

"We then informed the bank officials about the incident," said the SP.

The station house officer said, "The CCTV camera of the ATM has been lying defunct for weeks. The alarm did not even ring at the time of the theft. A CCTV camera is installed in a house opposite the ATM, but the thieves had painted the camera lens with black colour."