Nearly a fortnight after armed robbers allegedly opened fire on a police patrol team during a failed ATM break-in near Noorwala Road, Ludhiana Police on Tuesday arrested two members of the gang and claimed to have cracked four ATM robberies across Punjab.Commissioner of police Swapan Sharma during a press conference in Ludhiana on Tuesday. (HT Photo)The arrested accused have been identified as Deepak Kumar, alias Deepu Bihari, of Amritsar and Jasminder Singh, alias Jass of Tarn Taran. According to police, the duo was part of a six-member gang that targeted isolated ATM kiosks using industrial gas-cutting equipment and carried out a series of ATM thefts across Punjab over the past year.Addressing a press conference, commissioner of police Swapan Sharma said investigators had recovered a .32 bore pistol along with two live cartridges, an industrial gas-cutter set, a gas cylinder, a portable cutting machine and a Maruti Suzuki Ertiga allegedly used in the crimes.Police said the gang had attempted to break open an ATM near Noorwala Road on the intervening night of May 19 and 20. While allegedly using a gas cutter to breach the ATM vault, a short circuit triggered a fire inside the kiosk, forcing the suspects to abandon the operation midway.As the accused attempted to flee, they were intercepted by a PCR Tango-6 patrol team. The suspects allegedly opened fire at the police personnel before escaping, prompting an intensive manhunt.The investigation gained momentum on May 25 with the arrest of Jasminder Singh and the seizure of the vehicle allegedly used in the crime. During questioning, he revealed details about the gang and its operations, police said.Acting on the leads generated during the investigation, police conducted a raid on Tuesday and arrested Deepak Kumar. The firearm allegedly used during the firing incident was also recovered during the operation.Commissioner Sharma said Deepak was a habitual offender with 21 criminal cases registered against him, including charges of murder, attempt to murder, robbery, violations of the Arms Act, prison-related offences and cases under the NDPS Act. Jasminder, however, had no previous criminal record, police said.Additional deputy commissioner of police (Investigation) Amandeep Singh Bans said the gang followed a well-planned modus operandi.“Members would conduct reconnaissance of ATM kiosks during the day, identify vulnerable locations and return at night equipped with high-temperature gas cutters to break open ATM vaults before fleeing with the cash,” he said.“During interrogation, the accused confessed to their involvement in four ATM robberies, including incidents in Jalandhar Cantonment on May 5, 2025, Rama Mandi in Jalandhar on July 19, 2025, and separate ATM thefts in Phagwara and Ludhiana’s Jodhewal area on December 27, 2025,” the ADCP said.Police said efforts were underway to trace the remaining four members of the gang. Investigators are also examining the possibility of the accused being involved in similar ATM-related offences reported from other districts of the state.