Advise to banks to install CCTVs in ATMs goes unheeded

With increase in ATM frauds and robberies, RBI and police have instructed banks to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at their ATMs. Police commissioner T Rajendran informed, in spite of several advisories issued by the police to banks, at least 934 ATM kiosks in the state, including 354 in the city, have not installed CCTV cameras. In a meeting held with RBI officials he said, banks were advised to install CCTV cameras outside their ATMs also.

The police sources told there are around 1,680 ATM booths in the Chennai out of which only 1,326 have CCTV cameras, 1,305 have security guards and only 268 have burglar alarms. Also, out of 5,757 ATM kiosks only 4,823 have CCTV cameras, 4,265 have security guards and only 947 have burglar alarms.

Rajendran said, "At the meeting, we advised them to focus on the infrastructure. Bank branches, ATMs, as well as the process of providing escort to bank personnel carrying cash should be made fool-proof. We discussed net-banking frauds, credit card frauds and phishing mails. We cited the technical difficulties faced while investigating the recent theft at a Thoraipakkam ATM kiosk." He added, "The antecedents of the personnel engaged by banks and the companies hired by them should be verified. Security guards should follow standard operating procedures."

In the meeting RBI regional director KR Ananda, general manager MK Singh, Indian Bank executive director V Ram Gopal, IOB general manager (IT) MS Raghavan, SBI deputy general manager SS Pradhan, Tamilnad Mercantile Bank managing director AK Jeganathan, Canara Bank general manager Lalitha Lakshmanan, Bank of Baroda general manager (south) Usha Ananthasubramaniam, PNB senior manager N Gopu, Union Bank of India assistant general manager Nishish Mobar, UCO Bank deputy general manager DN Routray, ICICI Bank deputy general manager Dinesh Wadhwa, Syndicate Bank general manager Pradeep K Saxena, and HDFC Bank cluster head N Premanand, were present.
Also, Corporation Bank general manager Basti N Shenoy, Central Bank of India general manager S Kannan, additional police commissioners Sanjay Arora and Md Shakeel Akhter, central crime branch deputy commissioner C Sridhar and additional deputy commissioner of police (cyber crime wing) M Sudhakar were present in the meeting.