SRINAGAR: Police in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district have recovered the entire Rs 9.5 lakh allegedly stolen from a woman through an ATM card exchange fraud and arrested two women accused of receiving the proceeds, while the two alleged main perpetrators remain absconding.
The case is registered as FIR No. 254/2026 under Sections 303(2) and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Police Station Qazigund.
According to police, the investigation began after Muneera Reshi, wife of Gulzar Ahmad Shaan and a resident of Pati Akhran, Kulgam, lodged a complaint at Police Post Mir Bazar on October 15. She alleged that an unidentified person had fraudulently exchanged her ATM card at a machine in Mir Bazar on October 5, after which unauthorised transactions totalling Rs 9.5 lakh were made from her bank account.
Police identified the alleged main accused as Vinender Singh alias Sheenu, son of Roshan Lal, a resident of Kesan Colony, Ward No. 12, Barwala, Hisar, Haryana, and Mukesh Singh, son of Rajuram, a resident of Hansi in Hisar district.
Their identities and residential details were established using CCTV footage, technical analysis and other investigative leads, police said.
A team from Police Post Mir Bazar subsequently travelled to Haryana to trace the accused and verify their addresses. However, both were found absconding, and their residences were reportedly locked. Efforts to locate and arrest them are continuing.
The two women arrested in connection with the alleged handling of the defrauded money have been identified as Shanti Devi, wife of Nathu Ram, a resident of Data Gurana in Hisar district, and Rajpati Devi, wife of Raj Kumar, a resident of Sorkhi in the same district.
Police said Shanti Devi is the wife of the maternal uncle of accused Vinender Singh alias Sheenu, while Rajpati Devi is the maternal aunt of accused Mukesh Singh.
Investigators are examining the movement of the money and the alleged roles of all those involved to establish the full sequence of events.
Kulgam Police have appealed to the public to share credible information about the whereabouts of the two absconding accused. Information can be provided to the nearest police station, Police Post Mir Bazar, Police Station Qazigund or the Police Control Room on 91 70515 10660. Police said information would be handled confidentially, subject to applicable law.
SSP Kulgam Anayat Ali Choudhary, IPS, has urged people to remain vigilant while using ATMs. Police have advised customers not to hand over their cards to strangers or disclose their PINs, one-time passwords or other banking credentials. People have also been asked to avoid accepting assistance from unknown persons at ATMs and promptly report suspicious activity or unauthorised transactions to their banks and the police.
Further investigation and legal formalities are underway.
