In a joint operation, a combined team of Gorakhpur and Cantt police arrested a habitual fraudster who cheated several people by swapping their ATM cards and withdrawing money from their bank accounts. The accused has been identified as Vinod Gautam (28), son of Dalchand Gautam, a resident of Tilak Ward near Railway Station in Seoni district. The arrest has been made in connection with multiple fraud cases registered at different police stations, including Gorakhpur, Cantt, Omti and Belbagh. All cases have been registered under Section 318(4) of BNS for cheating and fraud. During the operation, the police recovered 66 ATM cards of different banks, Rs 5,500 cash, a Jupiter scooter used in the crime, worth about Rs 1 lakh and gold earrings worth around Rs 55,000. Besides this, an amount of Rs 3.68 lakh obtained through fraud has been frozen by the police.

 

According to the police, the accused used to target people withdrawing cash from ATMs. He would approach them on the pretext of helping them withdraw money. During the conversation, he secretly observed the victim’s ATM PIN and then cleverly swapped the victim’s card with another one. Later, he used the stolen card to withdraw cash from nearby ATMs or make purchases. Several victims reported similar incidents at Gorakhpur, Cantt, Omti and Belbagh police stations. Taking the incidents seriously, Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay directed all officers and station house officers in the district to intensify efforts to curb ATM fraud, card cloning and cyber crimes. Using bank CCTV footage and technical evidence, the team traced the accused and took him into custody. During interrogation, he confessed to committing the fraud by swapping ATM cards. The accused has been produced before court and taken on police remand for further questioning, as police suspect his involvement in more such cases.