ATM thieves attract attention of police by splurging, arrested

Alert Cubbon Park police arrested a cash custodian of a private bank in Mumbai and two of his associates who had committed theft at ATMs that had no guards in and around Mumbai and blew the money on travel and partying.

The arrested are Rakesh Pawan (24), Nayan Vijay Bansali (24) and Jyoti Chaddilal Gupta (22). The police caught them based on information that the trio was spending money lavishly at pubs and bars across the city for the last one month.

According to the police, Rakesh used to be a cash custodian who managed to get the keys and passwords of a few ATMs across Mumbai, which did not have security guards. The suspects, using the ATM machine keys and passwords, stole Rs 34 lakh from ATMs in Kalegoan, Solanpada and Bhusawal areas.

After committing thefts, they left for Delhi and from there visited Kullu Manali, Amritsar, Jammu and Kashmir, Goa and Pune before landing in Bengaluru at a star hotel on Lavelle Road on June 23, the police said.

The suspects used to spend lavishly on liquor and other items. They also bought gold jewellery, apparel and expensive mobile phones, the police added. Their lavish spending grabbed the attention of the alert police who zeroed in on them and picked them up for questioning. The suspects had planned to return to Mumbai within a few days. After detailed questioning, they confessed to the crime.