Man caught for rigging ATMs to cheat banks

New Delhi: A security guard, posted at an ATM in southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji, caught a person who allegedly used to tamper with the cash vending machines and con banks.

The accused has been handed over to the police. The security guard, Santosh, is also part of the Delhi police’s community policing initiative called Prahari. On May 21, Santosh, who is posted as a security guard at a HDFC Bank ATM in Nehru Enclave, noticed that the ATM has stopped functioning after a man carried out two transactions.

He felt that something was suspicious about the man who was withdrawing money and alerted the beat constable, deputy commissioner of police (Southeast) Romil Baaniya said. The accused, Mukul Rajput (20), a B.Tech student, was found carrying three ATM cards, one small key and Rs 30,000 cash. The ATM cards were in the name of some other persons, he said.

The police said the accused used to cancel the transaction as soon as the machine was about to dispense the cash and would insert a “key” in the ATM shutter to take out the money. He would later contact the bank concerned claiming that despite cancelling the transaction, money has been withdrawn from his account and would request reimbursement, another police officer said.

Thirty more ATM cards of different banks in the name of different persons along with 40 signed cheques have been seized from the accused's rented flat in Greater Noida, the DCP said, adding some notes and books about ATM hacking were also seized.