Hindaun City ( Karauli ) । Two separate incidents of ATM fraud caused a stir in Hindaun City. Victims cleverly replaced cards and withdrew a total of ₹90,000 from the accounts of two people, including a student. Both victims have filed reports at the respective police stations.
The first incident involved Ashok Sharma, son of Badri Prasad, who lives near the city’s railway station. Ashok said he went to withdraw money from the Punjab National Bank (PNB) ATM near Bayana Mor. Eight to ten young men were already standing at the ATM, and no security guard was present.
While withdrawing money, a young man distracted him under the pretext of cleaning and observed his password. When the machine failed to dispense money, another young man offered to help and replaced his ATM card. Shortly after, Ashok received a message on his mobile phone stating that a total of ₹69,000 had been withdrawn in three transactions.
First, ₹49,000 was withdrawn from the swap machine of a person named Vinod Kumar, and then two withdrawals of ₹10,000 each were made from another ATM. Ashok has filed a report at the Kotwali police station.
The second incident involved Varsha Sharma, daughter of Chandrabhan Sharma, a student from Chetram Colony. Varsha said she had gone to withdraw money from the SBI ATM near Patthar Walon Ki Dharamshala on Station Road. Three or four young men were already present there.
She withdrew ₹10,000 twice, but the second time, the fraudsters replaced her ATM card with one in the name of Rameshwar Meena. Within a short time, ₹20,000 was withdrawn from Varsha’s account. Varsha has filed a report at the Nai Mandi police station.
In both incidents, the fraudsters took advantage of the absence of a security guard at the ATM and the crowded traffic to commit the crime. Police have registered cases and begun an investigation.
Caution is Safety
The police have appealed to the public to be cautious when making ATM transactions, avoid taking help from strangers, and enter passwords discreetly. Such incidents should be immediately reported to the nearest police station.
