A woman in Maharashtra’s Palghar lost Rs 2.9 lakh after a man used a concealed walkie-talkie to trick her at an ATM. The incident happened after her debit card became stuck in the machine. Police arrested Jitendra Ramdev Pal, who allegedly gave her instructions remotely. Police recovered Rs 2.6 lakh and the walkie-talkie.
A man allegedly used a hidden walkie-talkie to trick a woman at an ATM in Maharashtra's Palghar district and steal Rs 2.9 lakh from her bank account. Police said that the incident took place on September 14 at an ATM centre in Shivaji Nagar, Boisar. The woman, identified as Sameera Musharraf Khan, had gone to the kiosk to withdraw cash.
Debit card gets stuck inside ATM
According to police, Khan successfully withdrew Rs 27,000, reported news agency Press Trust of India. However, her debit card then got stuck inside the ATM. As she tried to retrieve the card, she heard a voice telling her that she was being watched through the security camera. The voice allegedly warned her not to force the card out and instructed her to enter her PIN three times while pressing the 'cancel' and 'enter' buttons.
When the card remained inside the machine, the voice reportedly told Khan to leave her contact details at the ATM, the PTI report added. She was allegedly assured that a technician would arrive the next day and return her card.
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Believing the instructions, Khan left the ATM.
Rs 2.9 lakh withdrawn from bank account
The woman soon received a message informing her that Rs 2.9 lakh had been withdrawn from her bank account. Realising that she had been tricked, Khan approached Boisar police station and lodged a complaint.
Police then began investigating the incident using technical surveillance and local intelligence.
Man arrested over ATM walkie-talkie trick
Investigators arrested Jitendra Ramdev Pal, a Thane resident, in connection with the case. During questioning, Pal allegedly told police that he had hidden a walkie-talkie inside the ATM kiosk. He then used the device to communicate with Khan and give her instructions while she was inside the booth.
Police recovered Rs 2.6 lakh from Pal along with the walkie-talkie set, an official said.
The investigation is continuing, and police are probing whether Pal was involved in any similar ATM frauds.
(With inputs from agencies)
