Over Rs 2 lakh and 5 ATM cards recovered
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 9: A police officer was apprehended by authorities in the Domana region for allegedly deceiving unsuspecting citizens through fraudulent ATM transactions.
The operation led to the recovery of more than Rs 2 lakh and 5 ATM cards from the arrested officer.
According to a police representative, the case came to light when a resident, Prem Nath Raina, son of Jagan Nath Raina from Barnai, reported to the Police Post Chinnore about an unidentified individual who had unlawfully used his ATM card to withdraw a considerable sum from his bank account.
Responding promptly, an FIR numbered 203/2024 under section 318(4) of the BNS Act was filed at Police Station Domana.
Following this, multiple other victims came forward with complaints, prompting the lodging of further FIRs under the same section, the official noted.
Subsequently, the investigation team scrutinized CCTV footage from ATMs and petrol stations, conducted technical analyses, and gathered critical intelligence.
These efforts culminated in the identification and arrest of the primary suspect, Pardeep Singh Thakur, who resides in 82/8 Resham Ghar Colony, Bakshi Nagar, originally from Shankli, Tehsil Dessa, District Doda, the official stated.
Alarmingly, the accused, a serving police officer, was revealed to be the mastermind behind the scheme, according to the police representative.
His method involved preying on elderly individuals or those unfamiliar with ATM transactions.
Pretending to be a helpful bystander, he would obtain their PINs, replace their ATM cards with similar-looking cards, and subsequently use the stolen cards to withdraw funds.
Once he reached the ATM withdrawal limit, he would exploit the stolen cards further at petrol stations to extract additional cash.
The investigation also uncovered that two petrol station employees aided the accused by swapping the stolen cards for a portion of the fraudulent gains.
All three suspects have been arrested, and the investigation continues, with further recoveries and arrests anticipated, the official mentioned.
These arrests have led to the resolution of five FIRs filed at Police Station Domana, added the police representative.
The arrests and recoveries were executed by a team from Police Post Chinnore, led by the Incharge of Police Post Chinnore, SHO Domana, and SDPO Domana, under the oversight of SP Rural Jammu, Brijesh Sharma.
In a related statement, the police urged the public to maintain vigilance regarding their privacy while withdrawing cash from ATMs.
They also advised against allowing anyone inside the ATM booth during transactions, sharing their ATM PIN with others, documenting ATM PINs on their cards, and handing over their ATM cards to strangers for assistance.
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