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Machete attack on woman at ATM brings little improvement in security

Despite new security rules imposed after a brutal attack in Bangalore, India, many ATMs in the city are said to lack required CCTV cameras, alarm systems and guards.

December 3, 2014

Public outrage was intense last November following the nearly fatal attack by a machete-wielding robber on a woman at an ATM in Bangalore, India.

While victim Jyothi Uday lay comatose in a hospital, legislators and law enforcement in Bangalore and beyond drafted new guidelines for ATM security that required deployers to install CCTV cameras and security alarms in all ATMs, and either hire a guard to stand watch 24/7 at every ATM or shut down unattended machines.

Today, Uday, a bank manager, is fully recovered and her life is back to the usual routine. And, according to a report by The New Indian Express, ATM security is pretty much as it was prior to the attack, as well.

The original timeline for banks to comply with security measures was extended from 15 days to 90, and then largely forgotten, the Express reported:

... today, a cursory glance around the city reveals several ATM kiosks without guards, cameras or emergency alarms.

'As the memory of the attack faded, both the police and banks developed a lax attitude towards ATM kiosk security," said Srinivas Babu, president of the United Forum of Bank Unions. Initially, some ATMs were forced to shut down by the police. But as soon as police looked the other way, they reopened, and today they function as usual.'

Uday's attacker remains at large, as well, the Express said.