Bangalore: Brave ATM guard foils robbery bid, grabs machete and hits

Bangalore, Dec 30 (NDTV): Sahabuddin is a brave man. Early on Sunday morning, this 32-year-old ATM guard experienced a frightening attack, captured on CCTV, in the ATM he had been guarding for the last one month. But, despite being tied up, he released himself and grabbed the machete of one of the attackers and hit him with it. Thanks to him, the police have that man in custody.

"My duty starts after 10 pm. I was lying down, not sleeping. It was cold. I turned on my mobile and was covered with a cloth... then two men came with helmets... they hit me a lot with the helmet... they tied my hands and legs. They then tried to break the ATM. Then by God's grace, the police came," he said.
 
Sahabuddin secretly wriggled his hands free, making sure the attackers could not see him. When he first heard the police coming, he was scared that they were more gang members. As soon as he was sure they were on the side of the law, he gained courage.
 
"After the police came, I untied myself - then I hit him and he fell down," he says. Sahabuddin then pulled one of the constables who arrived on the spot closer and continued. "This man, my brother, was also hitting him."
 
The attacker, Sandeep, who was injured, was taken into custody and hospitalised. He has given the police details of the second attacker.

Additional Commissioner of Police, Kamal Pant said, "We know who are the two people who have tried to intrude into the ATM. We will get the second accused also."

ATMs in Bangalore have been in the news of late for all the wrong reasons. Last month, a woman was attacked by a man with a machete as she tried to withdraw money early one morning in the centre of town. That man is still at large. Following that attack, it was made compulsory for all ATMs to have a guard in order for them to be allowed to operate.

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