After an intense pursuit that crisscrossed several states and spanned nearly a year, the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has arrested a man believed to be the central figure behind a spate of audacious ATM thefts across North India.
The accused was finally cornered and arrested on Friday from the Mewat region, police confirmed on Saturday.
The arrested man, Mubarik Ali (37), a resident of Palwal, Haryana, and a truck driver by profession, had been on the run since February of this year.
He was wanted in connection with the dramatic theft of an Axis Bank ATM in Wazirabad, Delhi, where cash amounting to more than ₹29 lakh was stolen after the entire ATM was forcibly removed from its kiosk.
How the trail began
The February 6 theft immediately stood out for its planning and brazenness. Investigators found that the gang first sprayed paint on the CCTV cameras inside the ATM kiosk, effectively blinding the surveillance system.
The ATM was then uprooted and taken away, pointing to the involvement of a well-coordinated and mobile gang rather than opportunistic thieves.
This distinctive modus operandi — disabling cameras before physically removing ATMs — led police to suspect an organised network operating beyond Delhi.
Early intelligence and ground inputs repeatedly pointed towards the Mewat belt, a region that has earlier figured in similar interstate crime investigations.
Given the scale and daring nature of the offence, the case was transferred to the Crime Branch with instructions to dismantle the entire syndicate.
Cracks in the network
Within just three days of the Wazirabad incident, Crime Branch teams arrested two of the six accused from the Nuh area of Mewat.
Their interrogation proved crucial. Police learned that the gang functioned under the instructions of Mubarik Ali, who allegedly coordinated movements, assigned roles and ensured that the stolen machines and cash were quickly moved across state borders.
According to investigators, Mubarik rarely stayed in one place. He kept changing locations, often travelling long distances under the cover of his job as a truck driver — a factor that initially helped him evade arrest.
The final chase
Sustained technical surveillance eventually picked up Mubarik’s trail in Maharashtra, after which he began moving towards Rajasthan.
Crime Branch teams quietly followed his movements for over 2,000 kilometres, finally closing in on him in the Mewat region and effecting his arrest on Friday.
Criminal history and legal course
Police say Mubarik Ali is allegedly involved in at least 10 criminal cases spread across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
These include multiple ATM thefts, attempted murder and violations under the Arms Act. He had earlier been declared a proclaimed offender, with non-bailable warrants issued against him by several courts.
Following his arrest, Mubarik has been taken into custody for detailed interrogation. Investigators are now focusing on:
- Recovering stolen cash and ATM components
- Identifying additional accomplices still at large
- Mapping other ATM thefts believed to have been executed using the same CCTV-spraying technique
Police sources indicate that more arrests are likely, and supplementary charge sheets may be filed as fresh links emerge.
The Crime Branch is also coordinating with police forces in other states to verify whether unsolved ATM thefts match the gang’s signature method.
#ATMTheft #DelhiPolice #CrimeBranch #Mewat #InterstateCrime #ATMHeist #PoliceAction #LawAndOrder
