VASCO
An Automated Teller Machine at Baina, belonging to Bank of India, caught fire in the wee hours of Monday.
According to information, the ATM based below Robinson building at Baina opposite Taiba Masjid caught fire at around 1.45 am. Three vehicles -- scooter, motorbike and a Maruti Omni van -- parked outside the ATM were also engulfed in the fire.
Residents claim that the ATM was not functional for a long time. Police, who called the bank manager, also confirmed that there was no cash in the ATM. With the rising number of burglaries in Vasco, there is a likelihood some culprits were trying to rob the ATM.
Nawab Saab, whose cushion-making shop is next to the ATM in the same building, said that he received a call saying the ATM had caught fire and it was spreading. “I rushed to the site. The fire was still raging, even as fire fighters, police and officials from the electricity department arrived on the scene. After the linesmen disconnected the power, the fire was doused. Fortunately, the flames did not spread to my shop,” he said.
Another resident Armaan Xec told The Goan that the fire brigade and police took a little while to reach the spot. “We suspect that someone must have attempted to burgle the ATM . There is every chance that instead of cutting the wires of CCTV, they could have cut the wires of the inverter and this could have led to a short circuit... Police need to investigate,” Xec said.
Meanwhile, fire official Francisco Mendes said they rushed to the site immediately upon being informed. “The reason for the fire is not known. We received a call at around 1.45 am. After we reaching the spot we saw that the ATM was on fire. We managed to doused the fire but the ATM was totally burnt and a few vehicles were also damaged. We have not yet estimated the loss, but it could be around Rs 5 lakh. We managed to save property worth over Rs 2 lakh,” said Mendes.
