New Delhi, Jan 18 (IANS): A team of Delhi Police on Saturday claimed to have cracked an ATM heist case with the arrest of two people ('Jija-sala' duo) who revealed how they executed fraud to loot public money.
The police arrested them after days of manhunt and also revealed their modus operandi, explaining how they carried out ATM heist.
In the city's Gandhi Nagar area, many people complained at the police station that cash was not dispensed from the ATM but the amount got deducted from their bank account.
The police formed multiple teams and launched a probe into the heist that saw many people turning into victims in the past few days.
Police nabbed the duo and also recovered stolen cash and tools used for the crime. It also seized a Maruti Brezza car, apparently used for scamming people coming to the ATMs.
Two accused have been identified as 28-year-old Ankush and 41-year-old Bidnesh, both believed to be habitual offenders.
Amount debited, but cash not dispensed
A complaint from UCO Bank Mahila Colony, Gandhi Nagar was received at the police station regarding tampering with the ATM. Many customers claimed that the amount was debited from their account but cash could not come out from the cash tray during the transaction.
The police formed a dedicated team and launched a probe in the vicinity of the installed ATM area.
When the complainant went to the UCO Bank ATM to withdraw cash, the machine showed "You can collect your cash", but it didn't come out.
How police cracked the case
During the investigation, the police team checked the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area and suspected a car parked near the ATM to be part of the scam. The two suspects were also found roaming in the area in the same car.
After the duo was caught, items like a cutter, tape, six plates ply and a stainless steel plate were recovered from them which they used to tamper with the ATM.
Modus Operandi
The duo, when interrogated, revealed that they fixed a ply under the ATM cash tray using adhesive tape, thus preventing the cash from being dispensed to the user.
Unaware of the scam, the user would leave the ATM, only to discover later that money has been debited from their account.
They also disclosed that they targeted the ATM of UCO Bank and Axis Bank maintained by Pune-based company Prerto. They also claimed to have cut the wire of the sensor to ensure that the notification could not be sent to the bank.