Varanasi: Gambhirpur police in Azamgarh district arrested a criminal involved in cases of ATM fraud, theft and robbery following an exchange of fire in which he suffered an injury in the leg early Monday morning.Azamgarh ASP (city) Madhuvan Kumar Singh said Gambhirpur police were busy checking vehicles when informers alerted them regarding movement of an accused involved in fraud, ATM theft and robbery incidents on Thekma-Azamgarh road via Rohua crossing in an SUV. Police cordoned the Rohua Mustafabad area.As the accused passed through the area, police tried to stop his SUV, but he opened fire at the police team in a bid to escape. When police fired back, he jumped out of the vehicle and tried to flee. He suffered bullet injury in his leg and was caught. The accused was identified as Sanjay Kumar of Sultanpur. After recovering a country-made pistol, cartridges, an SUV, equipment for cash trapping in an ATM (11 plastic strips, 1 mould, a cutter machine, 1 metal cutter, 1 tester), 3 ATM cards, 1 mobile phone and Rs 2,530 cash from him, before rushing him to hospital.Kumar came on police radar after manager of Union Bank of India’s Ranipur Rajmo branch filed complaint at Gambhirpur police station stating that, on Jan 4, there was a failed withdrawal of Rs 20,000 from the bank’s ATM. During cash reconciliation by bank, no extra cash was found in the ATM and CCTV footage showed an unknown person installing a skimming/cash-trapping device on the cash dispenser, causing cash to get stuck at its mouth, which could be later taken out.During initial interrogation, he confessed that along with his other associates, he was involved in organised ATM fraud incidents. The accused identified ATM machines at different locations and tampered with them to trap cash. It checked dispensing of cash when a user attempted withdrawal from an ATM, and when the latter left the ATM booth, the accused and his gang members removed the strip and withdrew the trapped cash. The obtained money was divided equally among all accused.Using the same method, the accused previously committed ATM fraud incidents in various areas of Azamgarh district and was active in the city.
