SRINAGAR: In a shocking incident, Jammu and Kashmir Police arrested a serving policeman on Monday for allegedly duping senior citizens by misusing their ATM cards. The accused, identified as Pardeep Singh Thakur, was found in possession of five ATM cards belonging to different individuals and had fraudulently withdrawn Rs 2.02 lakh, which has since been recovered by the police, Chandigarh newspaper, The Tribune reported.
The case came to light when an elderly resident of Barnai, Prem Nath Raina, reported to the Chinore police post that his ATM card had been misused to withdraw money from his bank account. Acting on the complaint, the police registered an FIR under Section 318(4) of the BNS Act at Domana police station.
A dedicated investigation team was formed, which analysed CCTV footage from ATMs and petrol pumps, conducted technical scrutiny, and gathered intelligence. These efforts led to the identification and arrest of the main suspect, Thakur, a resident of Shankli in Doda district, currently living in Bakshi Nagar, Jammu.
Police revealed that Thakur, shockingly a serving member of the force, had masterminded a scam that preyed on elderly citizens and those unfamiliar with ATM operations. His modus operandi involved posing as a helpful bystander to unsuspecting victims, observing their PINs, and then swapping their ATM cards with similar-looking ones. He would then use the stolen cards to withdraw money until the daily ATM limit was reached. To extract more money, Thakur also used the stolen cards at petrol pumps, where employees allegedly aided him in exchange for a share of the illicit proceeds.
Two petrol pump employees who were complicit in the scam have also been arrested. Police are continuing their investigation and expect further recoveries and arrests as the case unfolds.
