Couple's debit card used to withdraw Rs 1 lakh

PUNE: An unidentified man replaced a couple's debit card with a fake card and used the original one to withdraw Rs 1 lakh over the next eight days.
The complainant, Harilal Karsanbhai Patel (58) and his wife, met the suspect at an ATM in Balewadi on October 29. The man pretended that the ATM was not accepting his card and asked Patel to check his. The man saw Patel insert his card and type in the PIN.He also helped Patel withdraw Rs 7,000. "The suspect diverted Patel's attention and replaced it with a fake one," said senior inspector Arun Sawant, incharge of the Chatushrungi police station.
Between October 29 and November 5, the suspect used Patel's card six times to withdraw a collective amount of Rs 1 lakh from various ATMs.
"Police suspect the conman allegedly blocked Patel's phone number to prevent him from getting SMS alerts. The incident came to light after Hiralal Patel obtained the bank statement and found only Rs 27 left in his account," he said.
Investigating officer Fakhruddin Pathan said police will request the bank to provide CCTV footage of the ATM kiosk to ascertain the identity of the suspect. The cyber crime cell will also be roped in. A case has been registered against the unknown suspect
under sections 420 (cheating) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the Indian Penal Code.