Mumbai: Two cousins, who were recently arrested by the Bhandup police, for allegedly tampering with ATM machines and duping banks of lakhs of rupees, are now suspected to be part of the Jamtara-like gang.
Jamtara, a city in Jharkhand, has earned thenotoriety of being the phishing capital of India, after the place was found to be the ground zero for numerous virtual frauds. Likewise, the Bhandup police are suspecting the duo to be part of one such gang.
The suspects were identified as Areef Sharfuddin Khan, 38, and Tarif Usman Khan, 25. Both of them are Haryana residents. The duo had come toMumbai days before committing the crime and stayed at a lodge. Notably, Tarif is a mechanical engineer by profession.
“The two, especially Tarif, are experts with machines. He is able to crack any machine, including the ATMs. We will not be able to reveal the technique he used as there is a high possibility that others will try to mimic it. But he confessed the method he used for several offences,” said senior inspector Nitin Unhavane.
Their modus operandi resembles that of the Jamtara gang. Things will get clear as the investigation progresses, the cop added. Though the technique used by the duo is unclear it is known that they manage to dispense ATM cash without any debit.
It means that the ATM machine will hold no record of the transaction, nor will the bank. The machine is apparently hacked for certain seconds, which is later restored after the transaction is successful. More than 16 stolen debit cards were recovered from the duo, the police said.
Unhavane mentioned that the duo had allegedly attempted a similar crime in 2021 at a Bandra-based bank. They apparently succeeded at their attempt and managed to get Rs 40,000. “We will approach the bank on Monday and inquire aboutthe situation. Since it was a weekend, we couldn’t do it now,” he told.
