Mumbai Police have conducted an investigation into an ATM cash-trapping scam that involved three people - the alleged mastermind and two women who were in the middle of it - and arrested three people. The accused leveraged a simple yet effective trick to hide cash in ATM machines to trick customers into thinking machines had stopped working.
For many ATM users who reported that the money had been debited from their bank accounts, no cash was dispensed and customers left the ATM without being given any money. Investigation revealed that the cash had been locked in the machine and taken by the accused after the customers left the machine.
According to Mumbai Police, the gang put a plastic strip in the cash dispensing slot of the ATM. The strip prevented the cash from entirely emerging, making it seem like the machine had not delivered the money. After the frustrated customer left the ATM kiosk, the accused returned to remove the strip and retrieve the trapped cash.
The investigation started after a 37-year-old branch manager of Bank of Baroda in Bhandup filed the complaint. The bank’s ATM at Sachdev Complex had received at least five separate complaints from customers who had failed to withdraw cash despite getting their money through debit cards. It was the police who launched an investigation.
Police teams studied surveillance video from the ATM kiosk and areas around it to identify the suspects. After watching their movements and gathering evidence, officers arrested three suspects in connection with the operation. The gang targeted ATMs with high customer footfall because they believed that the problem would be a short-term issue and not a serious criminal activity, investigators said.
We are now investigating the accused for the same ATM fraud at some point in Mumbai or in neighbouring districts, and police are also investigating their financial transactions and whether they might be linked to larger organised criminal networks involved with ATM-related crimes.
The incident serves to emphasize the need for ATM users to be cautious while withdrawing cash. If an ATM debits money but does not dispense cash, customers should contact their bank customer service, report the problem to the branch immediately, and then don’t leave the ATM without telling security personnel if they have the opportunity. Most banks will replace failed ATM transactions once they have verified it, but reporting it to the bank in a timely manner helps prevent fraud and allows for investigations as well.
A police warning to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity around ATM kiosks was also issued by Mumbai Police.
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