Siliguri: Two individuals were arrested by police of Panitanki Police Outpost for allegedly committing ATM fraud using a special device. The accused have been identified as Sachin Yadav and Pintu Kumar Chowdhury, reportedly members of a Jharkhand-based fraud gang, police sources said.
The incident occurred late Friday night when a man attempted to withdraw cash from an ATM on Sevoke Road. His card got stuck and although he received a withdrawal message, no cash was dispensed. Confused, he waited near the kiosk. The two accused soon appeared, pretending to be an ATM security guard and a bank employee, and offered to help him. After misleading the victim and taking him outside, they abandoned him. Meanwhile, Panitanki outpost police received information about suspicious activity. When the duo returned to the ATM to retrieve the trapped cash, police caught them red-handed.
According to police, the accused had installed a device inside the ATM that prevented cash from coming out and trapped the card. Once removed, both the card and the money were released. Police sources added that the duo had previously cheated several people using the same method.
The accused were produced before Siliguri Court on Saturday and have been remanded to five days of police custody.