Mumbai: Woman frequents ATM for days to get fraudster nabbed

MUMBAI: A Wadala woman made rounds of an ATM kiosk outside Bandra railway station for more than a fortnight to look for a conman who had duped her and fraudulently withdrawn money from her bank account. She was convinced that the man was a professional criminal and would turn up at the ATM kiosk again to dupe others like her. She was proved right when 17 days later, he reappeared at the kiosk. She reported him promptly to the police and an inquiry revealed that he had been arrested seven times in the past for similar cases.

Bhupendra Mishra, the 36-year-old accused, is a Nala Sopara resident. On December 18, he stood at an ATM outside Bandra (West) station. Around 8.45pm, Rehana Shaikh, a Wadala resident, entered the kiosk. “While she was punching keys on the screen, Mishra entered and offered to help her. He told her that the machine would frequently malfunction and several customers had to leave empty-handed, and won Shaikh’s confidence. She believed him when he said that she should venture to another ATM kiosk,” said a police officer.

After crossing some distance on foot, Shaikh received a text from the bank. The message said that a sum of Rs 10,000 in cash had been withdrawn from her bank account. Shaikh was taken aback as she had not made the withdrawal. She ran all the way back to the ATM. But the man who had offered to help her earlier was nowhere to be seen. “Nearly every day thereafter, she would make a round of the ATM while heading to her workplace or returning home,” said an officer. On January 4, around 9pm, she noticed Mishra again and informed the police.

On interrogation, Mishra admitted to his involvement in the crime. He used to shoulder surf—look over the target’s shoulder—while standing in queues at ATM kiosks and make a mental note of their PIN number. Once an ATM user was halfway through the transaction, Mishra would butt in and claim that the machine was malfunctional. If the ATM user was gullible and left the kiosk without pressing the “cancel” button on screen, Mishra would continue with the transaction. “All he needed to carry out further transactions or withdrawals was the ATM user’s pin number. This was already in his possession and he did not need the user’s debit card,” said an officer.

Mishra has committed offences in Kandivli, Samta Nagar, Malad and Bhoiwada in the past. Police are probing if he had any help. He is currently in Bandra police’s custody.