Man dupes senior citizens by swapping debit cards, nabbed

As many as 34 fake debit cards and Rs 25,000 in cash were seized from the accused, J Parthasarathy of SVS Nagar in Valasaravakkam. Police said he already has seven similar cases pending against him in Virugambakkam since 2018. “While Parthasarathy is said to have involved in selling clothes on pavements for the last two years, he claims he got money swindling after running out of money due to the lockdown,” said Inspector P Amutha.

On May 11, Prabakaran (65) of Jai Nagar, Valasaravakkam, went to withdraw cash from an Indian Bank ATM on Arcot Road, when Parthasarathy offered to help him. After getting the card PIN from Prabakaran, he diverted the senior citizen’s attention claiming the machine did not have cash and handed over another card to him before fleeing the place.

Two hours later, Prabakaran checked his phone and was shocked to find Rs 50,000 withdrawn from his account. After he lodged a complaint with Valasaravakkam police, a special team under Assistant Commissioner Mahimaiveeran and Inspector P Amutha was formed to nab the offender.

To avoid getting caught in CCTV footage, Parthasarathy wore helmet in all ATMs he entered and his two-wheeler registration number has also been tampered. The team, however, secured Parthasarathy when he was parking his two-wheeler near an ATM on Thursday going by the looks of the bike in the CCTV footage.

Probe revealed that he had paid Rs 16,000 as house rent and had also swindled Rs 1 lakh from another senior citizen, whose ATM card he obtained from High Court premises.

Parthasarathy lives in a posh rented house in Valasaravakkam and his son recently graduated from a deemed university.