The Vishrambaug Police have arrested a fraudster who specifically targeted senior citizens by swapping their ATM cards and withdrawing money from their bank accounts. The suspect, Raju Pralhad Kulkarni (54), a resident of Mysuru, Karnataka, was caught in possession of 166 ATM cards from various banks and a total of Rs14 lakh in cash.
The scam came to light after an elderly individual reported a fraudulent withdrawal of Rs22,000 from their account. The elderly victim claimed that the suspect had pretended to help them at an ATM center on February 2 at the Bank of Maharashtra ATM located on Lal Bahadur Shastri Road. Following the complaint, the Vishrambaug Police launched an investigation, which led them to arrest Kulkarni.
Kulkarni’s modus operandi involved targeting senior citizens visiting ATM centers to withdraw their pension funds. He would offer assistance to those struggling to use the ATM, take their card under the guise of helping them, and secretly note down the victim’s PIN number. With a sleight of hand, he would swap their ATM card with his own, causing the victim to believe their PIN was incorrect. Kulkarni would then advise the elderly person to go to the bank for assistance and leave. After the victim left the ATM, he would use their card to withdraw money from their account.
A thorough investigation led by Senior Inspector Vijaymala Pawar, along with PSI Manoj Barure and constables Mayur Bhosale and Ashish Kharat, tracked Kulkarni using intelligence sources and technical analysis. The police recovered 166 stolen ATM cards from his possession, confirming their suspicion that Kulkarni had been running this scam for some time.
Authorities urge other victims to come forward and report their cases to the Vishrambaug Police Station. The police have vowed to take strict action against such financial fraudsters and have advised senior citizens to remain vigilant while using ATMs. The investigation was conducted under the supervision of Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, Joint Commissioner Ranjan Kumar Sharma, Additional Commissioner Praveen Kumar Patil, DCP Sandeep Singh Gill, and Assistant Commissioner Sainath Thombre.
