Dehradun police have busted a gang of ATM frauds by arresting two persons from Rishikesh on Tuesday. The accused were allegedly involved in defrauding people by changing ATM cards or securing password of the ATM card on the pretext of helping the card-holders withdraw money from the ATM. The police have recovered 12 ATM cards, Rs60,000 and a car from their possession. The accused have been identified as Imran and Mohammad Saddam, natives of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh.
According to information provided by the police, Rishikesh resident Mohan Kumar Dobhal had registered a complaint on December 8 and stated that his wife had gone to ATM for withdrawing money at Dobhal Ghat, Rishikesh. He stated that two persons were also at the ATM at the same time and that theyduped his wife, replacing her ATM card with another card. Using the card, the frauds had then withdrawn Rs75, 000 from his bank account from various ATMs in Rishikesh.
In another incident, another Rishikesh resident Rakesh Chandra Maithani had registered a complaint on November 26 and stated that he had gone to ATM at Haridwar Road, Rishikesh. Here again, there were two persons at the ATM who had defrauded him, replacing his ATM card withanother card on the pretext of helping him. The frauds had then gone on to withdraw Rs49,500 from his bank account.
Taking note of these complaints, two separate cases under appropriate sections of IPC were registered against unidentified persons in Rishikesh Police Station.
Acting on the complaints, Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police Nivedita Kukreti had formed a team led by assistant SP/CO, Rishikesh Manju Nath TC under the supervision of SP Rural Sarita Dobhal and this team began investigating these ATM fraud cases.
Team members reviewed CCTV footage from the areas around the ATMs and found some clues. Police received a tip off about two suspects were driving in a car towards Railway Road from Tehsil Chowk in Rishikesh. Acting on the tip off the police conducted vehicle checking drive. The police stopped a car for check and apprehended the suspects after they failed to satisfactorily reply to the questions of the police.
The complainants who were called to the police station also identified the two persons as the ones who had duped them of their ATM cards. During interrogation by the police, the two are reported to have confessed to their crimes. The police recovered 12 ATM cards and Rs 60, 000 cash from their possession.
The accused will be sent to Suddhowala jail after being produced in the court said Rishikesh police state in-charge Praveen Singh Koshyari.