In a joint operation by South Zone Task Force and Bahadurpura police, an interstate gang involved in ATM attention diversion offences has been busted. The gang is accused of stealing ATM cards across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Karnataka, with Rs 7.6 lakh in cash seized from the arrested members.
Three gang members—Vail Ali from Haryana, Farman from Uttar Pradesh, and Obaid Arif from Hyderabad—were arrested, while two other members remain at large. The police have detected 18 cases, including 10 cases in Telangana.
The gang primarily targeted senior citizens, women, and illiterate persons. Their modus operandi involved approaching victims at ATMs under the pretext of helping them with withdrawals. While one accomplice observed the victim’s ATM PIN, another would stealthily replace the original ATM card with a duplicate card. The gang would then quickly flee the scene and use the original card to withdraw money from nearby ATMs and Point of Sale (POS) terminals.
A case has been registered under Sections 318(4) and 303(2) r/w 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Bahadurpura police station. The investigation is ongoing.
