Following a technical failure, the SBI ATM in Laipuli area - still containing cash - had been out of order since May 20, reports Indian Express. A day before, a private security firm had deposited Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes amounting Rs 29.48 lakh, reports The Hindu.
On June 11, when technicians arrived to fix the ATM, they found currency notes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 torn to pieces. The overall cash destroyed by the rats amounted to Rs 12,38,000, reports the newspaper. Undamaged currency notes amounting to Rs 17.10 lakh were recovered from the ATM.
Local journalist Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi tweeted a video, believed to be from the same ATM. The video shows a dead rat laying in a pile of shredded notes.
Really Size doesn't matter!! What a rat this is! Rat-bitten bank notes worth Rs 12 lakh 38 thousand. Torn notes and dead rat found inside ATM in Tinsukia Assam. Rat found dead before little one could bite remaining Rs 17 lakh 10 thousand. pic.twitter.com/3Omns7gAZH
- Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi (@NANDANPRATIM) June 18, 2018
The viral news forced HDFC Bank to tweet a clarification, saying the incident did not occur at one of their ATMs, as was suggested by some viral forwarded messages.
#FakeNews Pls note this is NOT an HDFC Bank ATM. The below photograph has been doing rounds on social media for sometime. Like we have said earlier, this isn't an HDFC Bank ATM. This seems like a prank but unfortunately showing our bank in bad light. Please do not believe in it. pic.twitter.com/eoLVl3S5HW
- HDFC Bank (@HDFCBank_Cares) June 19, 2018
It's SBI's ATM at Tinsukia, Assam as published in local news paper. pic.twitter.com/U3KrJ4wjbO
- Dr Arun Roy (@DrArunRoy) June 19, 2018
Twitterati are both amused and stunned at the strange incident.
"Looks like the mice are having a demonitisation of their own," says one Twitter user. "The money launderer's version of 'My dog ate my homework'," says another.
Surgical strike by mice on ATM machine pic.twitter.com/OrgJrDiXM5
- mogemboo (@mogembokhushua) June 18, 2018
How can a mice tore to shreds notes worth Rs 12 lakhs inside an ATM belonging to the State Bank of India (SBI) in a night ?
- Manoj Prabakar S (@imanojprabakar) June 19, 2018
An amount of 29lakhs deposited on May 19th & This incident found on Jun 11. But May 20 & June 11 machine went out of Service #SurgicalStrikeBySBI ??
ATM machine destroyed by Rat
- DEY! (@ronindey) June 18, 2018
via Whatsapp pic.twitter.com/S2uMnMc7AB
This is what happens when rat enters into ATM pic.twitter.com/UTcPkE0cZm
- BIGG BOSS TELUGU 2 (@NarsiSai) June 19, 2018
Money is Honey but not for the rats.
- Ketan Kundaliya (@kundaliyaketan) June 19, 2018
'Surgical Strike' by mice on SBI ATM, whopping Rs 12 lakhs destroyed.
In a nearly unprecedented & shocking incident, notes worth over Rs.12 lakh were found shredded apart into pieces, allegedly by mice, in an ATM in Tinsukia, Assam. pic.twitter.com/sv0cGeCOL2
Surgical strike by rats at an ATM machine !! pic.twitter.com/1h7h24QgP0
- Hemant Chandak (@HemantChandak) June 19, 2018
Tinsukia district Superintendent of Police, Mugdhajyoti Mahanta tells The Hindu the maintenance company had called its engineer from Kolkata to repair the ATM. "When the engineer and other officials opened the ATM on June 11, they found destroyed notes and also found a dead mouse inside the ATM," The Hindu quotes Mr Mahanta as saying.
A police complaint has been filed and the incident is currently under investigation, according to several reports.
