Amaravati, Dec 7 (IANS): A gang of burglars looted Rs 17 lakh from an ATM in Andhra Pradesh's Kadapa town by using gas cutters, police said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred on the outskirts of the town on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. According to police, the burglary was committed at an ATM of State Bank of India (SBI) near the KSRM Engineering College.

The burglars used gas cutters to cut open the part of the ATM where cash is kept and decamped with the money. Police quoted the bank officials as saying that Rs 17 lakh cash was stolen.

Five burglars committed the crime after spraying the CCTV cameras with some liquids so that the visuals are not captured. They, then, broke open the machine with gas cutters and fled with the money.

Bank employees, who noticed the theft in the morning, informed the police. Deputy Superintendent of Police Venkat Shiva Reddy visited the scene of the offence.

Police teams gathered clues and were trying to identify the offenders. The police official said they registered a case on a complaint given by the bank employees and took up the investigation.