The Gurugram Police have successfully busted an ATM fraud gang, arresting five suspects, including two women, for their involvement in a sophisticated theft scheme. The fraudsters used a chip inserted into the power plug of ATM machines to remotely control the machines, causing them to malfunction and steal money. The police have recovered Rs23,200 in cash and an MG Hector car used in the crimes.
The arrested individuals were identified as Ahsan and Raiees, residents of Pinangwan in Nuh district, Ashfaq from Auraiya district in Uttar Pradesh, and Nandini and Mahak, both from Shahdara in Delhi.
The investigation began after a complaint was filed on June 3 by the manager of the Axis Bank branch in Sector 10-A, Gurugram. The manager reported that an ATM had been tampered with the previous night, on June 2. An FIR was registered, and following swift police action, the suspects were apprehended. Ahsan, Nandini, and Mahak were arrested on June 3 from Sector 10-A, while Raiees and Ashfaq were arrested in Nuh on Wednesday.
According to police, the gang’s method involved inserting a chipset into the power plug of an ATM, enabling them to remotely turn the machine on and off. Whenever a victim attempted to withdraw cash, the fraudsters would switch off the machine just before the money was dispensed. The women would then tell the ATM user that the money would be credited back to their account within 24 hours. After the victim left, the gang members would retrieve the cash from the machine’s cash tray.
During interrogation, the suspects admitted to committing similar thefts at ATM locations in Delhi, Faridabad, and Gurugram. ACP Crime Varun Dahiya confirmed that the women involved were lured into the crime through social media by the main suspects, who promised them money in exchange for participating in the thefts.
A senior police officer revealed that Ahsan has a criminal record, facing four theft cases in Delhi and one in Gurugram, while Raiees is implicated in two theft cases in Delhi and one in Gurugram. The investigation is ongoing, and the police are questioning the suspects to uncover more details about their criminal activities.