“Robo-rats” tagged in ATM heist; munch on $18,000 cash.

Failure of an automated teller machine (ATM) to dispense cash in India led to a startling discovery: rats had defeated the hi-tech security measures of the system and managed to munch through more than a million rupees of banknotes.

Local police officials in Assam state said bank officials were only alerted on the heist when locals complained the ATM was faulty.

The bank officials came to check the ATM machine last week and found a dead rat and shredded banknotes when it was opened,” said district police superintendent Mugdhajyoti Dev Mahanta.

As early as 2012 there were reports that scientists had created “roborats”—by implanting electrodes on the brain of rodents. Through such scheme, the rats could be commanded by remote control to turn left or right, climb trees or navigate a pile of rubble.

However, the Indian police official said they found nothing to indicate outside involvement or foul play in the ATM heist.

“We’ve checked and there is no other criminal or conspiracy angle to the incident. It looks like the rats entered the machine through a small opening for some wires,” he said.

All in all the mice nibbled through an estimated 1.2 million rupees ($18,000) worth of hard currency. Photos of the “crime scene” showed an upended ATM filled with torn and shredded 500 and 2000 rupee bills.

“Roborats” were also introduced in the Philippine film scene as an alien race of rodent-like creatures featured in the movie starring Joey de Leon shown in 1989.

But the rats involved in the ATM heist were all too real, not fictional.