BENGALURU: All through the second week of March, an ATM in
Marathahalli seemed to run out of cash all the time. Frustrated customers complained to the bank and after some to and fro, the bank discovered to its horror that they were right. The money to be deposited in the ATM had been spirited away even as the
ATM system and the
logbook showed a deposit of Rs 52 lakh.
Investigations led to the arrest of 22-year-old Paramesh KK, a law college dropout who worked as a driver-cum-cash handler for cash logistics firm
CMS Security Agency.
On March 9, Paramesh along with a gunman, went to the ATM in Marathahalli to refill cash. While the gunman stood near the vehicle, Paramesh walked in and made an entry in the system and the logbook stating that he had deposited Rs 52 lakh in the machine. He walked out with the cash and went about his work for four days before proceeding on leave.
Customer complaints made bank suspicious
The bank authorities became alert when customers started complaining about lack of cash in the ATM. While the bank officials maintained that cash had been deposited, the customers argued otherwise. It was only on March 17 that bank officials realised that the cash had not been deposited in the machine. They suspected foul play. Subsequently, a complaint was lodged with police.”
With the needle of suspicion pointing to Paramesh and the gunman, the cops started a manhunt. The gunman was found to be innocent and remained put in his job. Paramesh, meanwhile, never returned to work. On March 27, cops traced Paramesh to his native Beekalli village in Kodagu’s Somwarpet taluk. Paramesh had reportedly spent Rs 50,000 and hidden the remaining Rs 51.5 lakh in mud pots in a cowshed.
“Paramesh has said he was very frustrated with his working conditions. He used to double up as driver as cash filler. He was hired for a salary of Rs 7,000 per month along with a driving allowance of Rs 300 per day. But he told us that he was denied the daily driving allowance for the last three months and was finding it difficult to pay the rent for his house in Gharvebhavipalya,” a police source told TOI.
“As he was aware of the cash filling and tracking mechanism, he decided to exploit the system. But for the complaints from the customers, the heist would have not come in the open and he would have gone scot free.”
