ATM theft racket mastermind held

New Delhi: After a year-long hunt, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has arrested a 36-year-old alleged mastermind of an ATM theft racket, who was wanted in more than 20 cases, from a hideout deep inside a jungle in Rajasthan, officials said on Friday. Police arrested Imran Khan alias Imma, a resident of Palwal in Haryana, from a concealed jungle hideout in the Gwalda Hills area of Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, they said. Khan is wanted in more than 12 ATM theft cases in Delhi and around eight cases registered in other states, police said.

He was declared a proclaimed offender in two cases in Delhi and faced non-bailable warrants in six cases, they said. According to police, the accused’s name repeatedly surfaced during investigations into cases involving uprooting and theft of ATMs. A hunt for Khan led police to the Mewat region of Haryana and Rajasthan, where he allegedly took shelter in remote villages and jungle areas. A team was deployed covertly in the area to gather information about his movements, which led police to an isolated hideout deep inside a jungle on the outskirts of Gwalda village, the officials said.