He used to pocket original card, give fake ATM card and withdraw cash from other ATMs

Mysore/Mysuru: K.R. Nagar Police have arrested a man on charges of cheating many persons in the pretext of helping them withdraw cash from ATMs.

Addressing a press meet at his Office in city yesterday, Superintendent of Police (SP) R. Chethan said that the accused is aged between 25 and 30 years, a mason by profession and a resident of Mysuru district. The Police have seized seven ATM cards of various banks, Rs. 12,000 cash, 3.8 grams gold jewellery purchased from the stolen money and a bike used for the crime from him, the SP added.

The accused used to wait near ATMs without security guards and target senior citizens and women from rural places, who were in need of help to withdraw money. The accused, who used to take the original ATM cards of people, used to help them withdraw cash after taking their ATM’s PIN numbers and while returning the card, he used to give them fake cards and pocket the original cards. He then used to go to other ATMs and withdraw cash.

On May 5, he had cheated one H.T. Timmashetty and on Feb. 2, he cheated one Sunanda Bai Ramesh at the Karnataka Bank ATM kiosk in K.R. Nagar and they had lodged a complaint in this regard. The accused has also cheated six others in K.R. Nagar, Hunsur, Periyapatna and H.D. Kote to the tune of more than Rs. 1 lakh, the SP disclosed.

The Police, who had taken the case seriously, had deployed Police personnel near various ATM kiosks to keep vigil on suspicious persons and the accused was nabbed on May 30 near the Karnataka Bank ATM kiosk in K.R. Nagar Bus Stand. The Police team led by K.R. Nagar Inspector Lava and guided by Additional SP R. Shivakumar and Dy.SP Sumeet arrested the accused. K.R. Nagar Inspector Lava, Sub-Inspector Chandrahasanayaka and staff Hidayath Ulla, Raghavendra, Puneet, Raju, Mahendra, Anitha Kumar, Imdad Ali and Yashwanth, took part in the nabbing and seizing operation.