PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE /Dehradun
Dehradun police have arrested three men for cheating people through ATM card fraud under the ongoing Operation Prahar on Tuesday. The trio especially targetted elderly people who came alone to withdraw money from ATMs. They would offer help to the victims and secretly watch their PIN while they were entering it, police said.
The three arrested accused have been identified as Imran Ali (40), resident of Ghaziabad, Naseeruddin (41), resident of Delhi and Mohammad Khalid, resident of Ghaziabad. During the search, police recovered 66 ATM cards of different banks from their possession. A car used in the crime was also seized. When questioned, the accused could not give a clear explanation about the large number of ATM cards.
The accused were caught by the Premnagar police team during a checking drive. Police said the gang would offer help to the victims and secretly watch their PIN while they were entering it. At the same time, they cleverly swapped the victim’s ATM card with another card. Later, they used the original card to withdraw money from the victim’s bank account. During questioning, the accused confessed that they had cheated many people using this method. In one case in Herbertpur area of Vikasnagar, they withdrew Rs 50,000 from a person’s account after swapping his ATM card. Police said that the gang has withdrawn more than Rs 25 lakh from different accounts so far. A case has been registered against them under relevant sections of the law and further investigation is being conducted, officials said.
