The Northern Police District Office (NPDO) said that it will keep continuous surveillance on the area's automated teller machine (ATM) zones as part of its efforts to neutralize the so-called "Ipit-ATM" gang members who are out for cash this Yuletide season.

The NPDO said surveillance operations in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela's ATM zones will be done through frequent police plainclothes and mobile patrols.

It added that these operatives were instructed to question or apprehend immediately any suspicious looking person or groups suspiciously lounging about in unguarded ATM booths.

"Ipit-ATM" gang members prefer to victimize individuals making ATM transactions in lonely area.

The NPDO said that the suspects are usually armed with small handguns and knives and use these weapons to intimidate their victims into making large cash withdrawals for them.

The NPDO said that the decision to increase police visibility in the district's ATM centers is in-line with the National Capital Region Police Office's (NCRPO) order to Metro Manila-based police units to intensify their security patrols this Yuletide season.