Two held for swapping ATM cards, withdrawing money from victim accounts

Police said one of them would monitor ATM users, noting PINs while pretending to assist them. If the user faced issues with their transaction, they offered “help” and swapped the user’s card with an identical one

The Noida police on Wednesday arrested two men for swapping ATM cards of unsuspecting people and then withdrawing money fromt ehir accounts. Police also seized 39 different bank ATM cards and ₹53,000 in cash from them, senior officers said on Thursday.

Police seized 39 ATM cards, ₹53,000 cash, two illegal firearms, and a motorcycle from the arrested men. (Representational image)

The arrested men were identified as Ankur Thakur (32) and Devender Nagar (34), during a routine checking on Pusta Road, Asgarpur T-Point.

According to police, on September 19, a resident from Noida’s Sector 128 was withdrawing cash from an ATM in Sultanpur village, when two individuals approached him on the pretext of helping him. “They discreetly swapped his ATM card with a similar one and later made multiple withdrawals totalling ₹1.41 lakh from the victim’s account,” said Bhupendra Singh, station house officer (SHO), Sector 126, Noida.

Police seized 39 ATM cards, ₹53,000 cash, two illegal firearms, and a motorcycle from the arrested men.

During interrogation, the suspects revealed how they selected ATMs frequented by the elderly or the less tech-savvy individuals. One of them would monitor ATM users, noting PINs while pretending to assist them. If the user faced issues with their transaction, they offered “help” and swapped the user’s card with an identical one. Once the user left, they made multiple withdrawals from nearby ATMs, quickly emptying the account.

“To maximize their haul, the gang even used a POS machine, managed by a third gang member named Sonu, Singh said, adding that a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Section 318(4) (cheating) has been registered against the accused.