Kalyan: The police have busted a gang and arrested four persons suspected of trapping ATM cards with adhesive and emptying money from victims’ bank accounts after obtaining their PIN and other confidential details.
The accused would apply a quick-acting adhesive in the ATM card slot, causing a customer’s card to get stuck, according to the police. The police said the number belonged to another gang member. The case came to light after the police received a complaint about an attempt to cheat a citizen at an ATM centre in Kolsewadi, Kalyan (East). During the investigation, the police arrested Rajesh Kumar Yadav. His interrogation led the police to three more persons, who were traced to Kongaon in Bhiwandi. The police learnt that the three were planning to escape to Bihar by the Patna Express and rushed to Kalyan railway station. The train had already departed. The police team chased the train and searched its coaches. Before it reached Kasara, they managed to apprehend the three suspects, Hariram Singh, Rohit Kumar Singh and Sudeep Kumar Vishwakarma. A gang member would then approach the victim, posing as a helpful bystander, and ask them to enter their PIN repeatedly. The accused would allegedly note down the PIN or obtain it through other means. The victim would then be asked to contact a mobile number provided by the accused and move away from the ATM. With the victim away from the machine, the accused would use the card and PIN to withdraw money. The police suspect the gang might have targeted several other ATM users and are investigating the number of incidents and the total amount allegedly stolen.