An automated teller machine near Pollachi, 60 km from here, was gutted in a fire that broke out while a miscreant was trying to open it with a gas cutter early Friday, police said.
According to police, a man covering his face with towel entered the ATM belonging to the private South India Bank around 3 AM.
The fire broke out when he tried to open the ATM with a gas cutter, forcing the man to run out of the cabin, they said.
Bank officials alerted fire and rescue department personnel who rushed to the spot around 4 AM and managed to put off the fire.
A special team has been formed to nab the culprit, based on CCTV footage and officials are assessing the loss of money in the fire, police said.