Noida: A man has been arrested in Noida for allegedly being part of a high-tech debit card cloning racket that duped several ATM users in the neighbouring cities of Ghaziabad and Delhi.
Police said Najim, a resident of Chotpur Colony in Noida’s Sector 63, and the kingpin, Armaan, currently on the run, would insert card-reading devices and small cameras in the machines enabling them access to card details inserted by users to withdraw money. Through the details obtained fraudulently, the duo would reproduce another duplicate ATM card copying the original and later withdraw money from other ATMs, officials claimed.
DCP Rajesh S said the skimming devices installed by the accused in an ATM would enable them to read the card details. Further, a small camera would be installed above the slot where the ATM’s PIN is entered, which enables in reading the confidential numbers entered by a card user.
“One skimmer device would record details of at least 10 ATM cards. The accused would access the details and later reproduce another card with the help of some other accused in Dehradun. Armaan would then hand over the cards to Najim, who would withdraw money from different ATM cards,” said ACP Rajnish Kumar said.
“My friend owns a phone repairing shop where Armaan’s brother would come to learn phone repairing. He shared the tactics of the process with us,” Najim told mediapersons.
Police said that as many as 36 cloned ATM cards have been recovered from the possession of the accused, who was caught by the Sector 58 police while he was travelling in an i10 (DL7CP6333) on Monday night. Also, Rs 58,000 have been seized from his possession.
The ACP said that the number plate of Najim’s car had mud on it and the ATM cards had been hidden under the mat kept inside the car which was intercepted at 22.25pm. “Earlier, too, as many as 28 ATM cards have been handed over to Najim by Armaan. The latter has more details of how the cards were cloned. A team has been formed to nab him,” he said.
Police officers said that the case highlighted the lacunae in bank security too since at many ATMs, CCTV cameras don't work or are in non-functional condition.