ATM fraud gang held, 130 ATM cards seized

Metro India News | Hyderabad 

The Ameenpur Police of the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate have arrested six members of an interstate attention diversion gang involved in cheating ATM users, particularly senior citizens, by stealing their ATM cards and withdrawing money from their accounts. Two other gang members are absconding. The arrested accused have been identified as Shahjad alias Sazza (19), Ajrudeen (25), Mohd Vasim (25), Sakib (28), Md. Asfak Khan (25), and Mohammad Jafar (20), natives of Rajasthan and Haryana. Police said Sohil and Mubarak are absconding and efforts are on to trace them.

The arrests were made during the investigation of a complaint received on July 29. The complainant stated that while attempting to withdraw cash from an SBI ATM at Kistareddypet on July 27, two strangers offered to help him after he faced difficulty operating the machine. They obtained his ATM PIN under the pretext of assisting him, secretly exchanged his ATM card with another card, and left. The next day, the victim received alerts showing unauthorized withdrawals of Rs. 65,400 from his account.

Police said the gang targeted isolated ATM centres, especially elderly and unsuspecting customers. The accused would pretend to assist victims, observe their PINs, swap their ATM cards, and later use the stolen cards to withdraw cash from ATMs or make purchases through Point-of-Sale (POS) machines. During interrogation, the accused confessed to committing similar offences in Ameenpur, Hyderabad, Cyberabad, surrounding areas, and parts of Haryana. They admitted to spending part of the stolen money on personal expenses.

Police seized 130 ATM cards, two BHIM UPI Pine Labs POS swipe machines, three auto-rickshaws used in the offences, five mobile phones, and Rs. 27,230 in cash from the accused. Investigators also found that eight other associates from Haryana had earlier visited Hyderabad and were involved in similar ATM frauds across Hyderabad, Cyberabad and nearby areas. The Cyberabad Police Commissioner appreciated the efforts of the Ameenpur Police team for successfully apprehending the accused.

Advisory

Police advised citizens, particularly senior citizens, not to seek assistance from strangers at ATM centres, never disclose their ATM PIN, and avoid handing over ATM cards to anyone. The public has also been urged to immediately inform the nearest police station or dial 100 if any suspicious persons are noticed near ATM centres.