Bhubaneswar police arrest four for duping banks of Rs 5 lakh across Odisha

The accused - Niraj Sahu and Yogendra Singh of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh along with Salim Pal and Mukesh Pal of Durgapur in West Bengal had allegedly withdrawn Rs 5 lakh in cash.
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)
For representational purposes (Express Illustrations)

BHUBANESWAR: The Commissionerate Police has arrested four persons for duping banks of Rs 5 lakh by carrying out fraudulent transactions in ATM kiosks across the State.

The accused - Niraj Sahu and Yogendra Singh of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh along with Salim Pal and Mukesh Pal of Durgapur in West Bengal had allegedly withdrawn Rs 5 lakh in cash fraudulently from 30 ATMs in various parts of the State like Bhubaneswar, Puri, Balasore and Baripada.

Police said the modus operandi of the accused involved blocking the cash dispensers of the ATMs with their hands and other tools. They did not collect the cash until the machines displayed an error. The accused then collected the currency notes released by the machines and contacted the banks concerned to report failed transactions to get refund of the exact amount.

Sources said police had been keeping a close watch on ATMs after three Haryana natives were apprehended last month for carrying out similar fraudulent transactions at ATMs in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack by using steel plates.

Acting on a tip-off about suspicious movement of some persons in a car near a State Bank of India (SBI) ATM at Tankapani here, a team of special squad and Sahid Nagar police conducted a raid in the area and nabbed the accused while they were attempting to tamper with the machine’s dispenser.

The police seized the car bearing West Bengal registration number, Rs 1.5 lakh in cash, 33 ATM cards of different banks and three mobile phones from the accused. "During interrogation, the accused revealed that the banks used to refund the money within three days after the failed transactions were reported. The accused got ATM cards from their relatives and friends and used them at the kiosks," said a police officer.

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