‘Helpful man’ at ATM kiosk held for swapping cards

Ludhiana: The Ludhiana rural police have arrested a man who allegedly duped people by swapping their ATM cards on the pretext of helping them at ATM booths. Police said the accused would replace victims' cards and later withdraw money from their bank accounts. Police said 20 ATM cards were recovered from his possession. The accused has been identified as Sanjeev Kumar alias Sanjay, a resident of Dream City on Noorwala Road in Jagraon.Investigating officer, ASI Shaminderjit Singh of Jagraon City police station said they were patrolling the area near Malak Chowk in Jagraon when they received a tip-off about Sanjeev Kumar. The informer said the accused had been cheating people by pretending to help them withdraw money and then exchanging their ATM cards.Police said the accused used to stand outside ATM kiosks and watch for individuals struggling to withdraw money. He would then ask victims for their ATM passwords, pretending to assist them. While doing so, he allegedly swapped their cards with other ATM cards from different banks that he carried in his pocket. Police said he would then falsely claim that the victim's ATM card was not functioning, keep the original card, and later withdraw money from their accounts using the genuine card.According to the tip-off received by the police, Sanjeev Kumar was travelling towards Jagraon on Sunday on a Pulsar motorcycle, intending to cheat more victims using the same modus operandi. Police launched a manhunt and apprehended him.ASI Shaminderjit Singh said police recovered 20 ATM cards of various banks and Rs 5,200 cash from the accused. He added that investigation is underway to determine details of previous frauds committed by him and to identify any additional victims.Box (as provided): Not A First — In Jan 2025, Khanna police "busted" an inter-state gang involved in swapping ATM cards and recovered 56 debit cards from the accused, who allegedly targeted elderly people at ATM kiosks and later withdrew money from their accounts — In 2024, Samrala police arrested a man for swapping a woman's debit card at an ATM kiosk on the pretext of helping her withdraw cash and later withdrawing over Rs 1 lakh from her account — In 2023, residents in Moti Nagar area of Ludhiana caught a suspect who used to exchange ATM cards of customers at kiosks. Police recovered 35 debit cards from his possession