Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Jul 4: A woman from the city became another addition to a long list of bank customers who have been cheated at the ATM centres. A person posing as a security staff posted at the said ATM swindled Rs 1.2 lac from her account.

The incident happened at Papareddypalya, Nagarbhavi. Radha and her husband from Ramanagara had visited the ATM at about 2.40 pm on June 14 to withdraw money, and got cheated. The woman has accused bank employees also of negligence.

During the visit to the ATM kiosk at Papareddypalya, Radha and her husband encountered some problems in handling the ATM machine. A person who introduced himself as a security guard, came to their help. He helped the couple to select the correct choices mentioned in the machine. In fraction of a second, he exchanged their card, and went away after handing over an ATM card he was holding, that was blocked. The next day, a further amount of Rs 40,000 was withdrawn from her account.

By the time the woman realized that her ATM card had been exchanged, the man had withdrawn Rs 40,000 from her account. Radha said that she went to the bank and questioned them. She explained about the problem in withdrawing cash and message of withdrawal she received in her mobile. The official noticed that the card in her possession had been blocked during April last year, and promised her to issue a new card.

Although Radha was given a new card, the new card was in the name of the cheater and not her. Her card remained with the fraudster. On June 17, when she was in Bhadravathi, Radha got another message that a further sum of Rs 40,000 had been withdrawn by using her ATM card on June 16. She turned panicky and went to the local bank where she was informed that the card she has been holding does not belong to her. She thereafter got her card blocked but by then she had lost Rs 1.2 lac from her account.

When Radha went to the bank's branch at Bengaluru on June 18 and made queries, the bank employees said that a card in her name had been issued on June 17. In the register too it was mentioned that a card had been handed over to her on June 15. She then went to Annapoonrneshwarinagar police station to lodge complaint but she was asked to visit cybercrime police station as they do not investigate such cases. When Radha contacted the cybercrime officials, they said that the incident had not happened within their jurisdiction and hence she has to visit Ramanagara polcie station. Radha also explained her predicament to police commissioner Alok Kumar. After a delay of eight days, Annapoonrneshwarinagar police registered the case and undertook investigation.