UP man held for novel ATM fraud in Chennai; two others on the run
The incident came to light on Monday morning, when S Srinivasan, 39, a senior executive of a private company tasked with monitoring ATM centres, received information about a malfunctioning SBI ATM on Pari Road in JJ Nagar East
The accused Shiva and iron plate, cash recovered
CHENNAI: A man from Uttar Pradesh was arrested on Monday for allegedly orchestrating a novel method of ATM fraud by inserting an iron plate into a cash dispensing machine in JJ Nagar, effectively trapping customers' money and stealing it later.
The accused has been identified as Shiva, 20.
The incident came to light on Monday morning, when S Srinivasan, 39, a senior executive of a private company tasked with monitoring ATM centres, received information about a malfunctioning SBI ATM on Pari Road in JJ Nagar East. Customers reported that the machine was not dispensing cash.
Upon arriving at the location, Srinivasan noticed three suspicious individuals loitering near the ATM. When he attempted to question them, two of them fled. Srinivasan and his team managed to apprehend the third individual for questioning.
During the interrogation, the captured man, Shiva, confessed to the crime. He revealed that the group had inserted a 30-cm-long iron plate into the cash outlet slot of the ATM. This plate blocked the cash from being dispensed.
The suspects would wait outside and observe. When a customer attempted to withdraw money, the cash would be blocked by the plate inside. Assuming a technical glitch, the frustrated customer would leave, after which the gang would enter the ATM kiosk, remove the iron plate, and steal the cash that had been pushed out but trapped by the obstruction.
Based on the complaint filed by Srinivasan, the JJ Nagar police registered a case and initiated a thorough investigation. "During our investigation, the accused, Shiva, admitted to collaborating with the others to steal money from customers using this iron plate method at the ATM," said a police official.
Following his interrogation, Shiva was formally arrested. Police recovered Rs 2,000 in cash and the 30-cm iron plate used in the crime from his possession.
The arrested accused was produced before a court on Tuesday and remanded in judicial custody. A manhunt is underway to arrest the other two.