Bihar municipal staff fraudulently withdraws money using dead man’s ATM card

A case was registered on June 11 against unidentified persons under sections 420 and 379 of the Indian penal code at Darihat police station in Rohtas district.

Bihar police said it arrested a municipal council staff on Wednesday for withdrawing over ₹1 lakh using an ATM card he stole while cremating a Covid-19 victim in Dehri-On-Sone in Rohtas district of the state. Police are now looking for his associates.

The deceased’s wife found that ₹106,500 had been withdrawn from the bank account of her husband after his death on April 30. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The fraud came to light when the deceased’s wife found that ₹106,500 had been withdrawn from the bank account of her husband, Abhimanyu Kumar, a school clerk, after his death on April 30. Police said the amount was withdrawn from ATMs of three different banks within 10 days of Kumar’s death.

On Chhaya’s complaint, a case was registered on June 11 against unidentified persons under sections 420 and 379 of the Indian penal code at Darihat police station.

Rohtas police superintendent (SP) Ashish Bharti formed a special team under Dehri sub divisional police officer (SDPO) Sanjay Kumar, who also questioned the staff at the municipal corporation involved in the school clerk’s cremation.

Police said a member of the cremation team named Vishal confessed to having pulled out the ATM card from the belongings of the deceased during cremation and having withdrawn money using it. He told police that he also found the ATM pin written inside the cover holding the card.

He also disclosed names of his associates in the crime and raids were being conducted to arrest them and recover the money, SP Bharti said.