Mumbai: An unknown person has duped a private bank of Rs. 2.77 lakh by withdrawing cash from the bank’s ATM machine in Khar. In an unique modus operandi, the person made four transactions of Rs. 50,000 and above and soon after the cash was dispensed, he removed the ATM machine power plug from the switch due to which the transaction was cancelled and the amount reverted back to the concerned account.
The incident came to light after the vigilance team noticed the reduction of the cash from the ATM but no transaction to reflect the withdrawal. Based on the vigilance team report, the deputy manager of the bank registered a case at Khar police station on Saturday. Police said the accused was using a cloned debit card.
Senior inspector Mohan Mane of the Khar police station said, “The case has been registered and we are scrutinising the CCTV footage of the ATM kiosk and nearby area to identify the culprit.”
According to the police, on October 6 when the vigilance team of the bank sent mail to the concerned branch mentioning that some suspicious transaction had taken place in the ATM machine situated at Linking Road in Khar (West). After probing, it was learnt that an unknown person withdrew Rs. 50,000 using a cloned debit card around 8:30 am on October 1.
The person then unplugged the ATM machine when the cash was about to be dispensed. Though the machine shut down, the cash was dispensed but the amount was not debited from the bank holder’s account, said Mane. In the second transaction, the accused powered back the machine and withdrew Rs. 59,000 in a similar fashion from the same ATM, added Mane.
Two more transactions of Rs. 80000 and Rs. 88000 were made by the suspect from the bank’s ATM situated on October 2 and October 3, the complainant mentioned in the FIR.
“It is not the job of one person and it appears that there is a group of people involved in the racket. We are investigating the case and will soon nab the culprit, said Mane.