3 arrested for ATM card skimming
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 28 2020: Atleast three non-locals were arrested by the Cyber Crime Police Station (CCPS) yesterday for involvement in ATM card skimming.

Briefing media persons at SP, CID (Crime Branch) office today, SP Joyce Lalremmawi conveyed that due to quick thinking and alertness of one Sagolsem Johnson (35) s/o Sagolsem Chanbi of Thongju Feija Letong, who is also a staff of Huiyen Lanpao newspaper, one non-local man, identified as Sanjay Kumar (35) s/o Chanda Singh of Sultanpuri, Nithari, Delhi, was nabbed and handed over to CCPS yesterday evening for suspected involvement in ATM card skimming.

The SP narrated that according to Johnson, at around 4 pm yesterday, he was going to an ATM booth located at Sega Road Thouda Bhabok Leikai when two non-locals also arrived around the same time.

At that time, a lady, ahead of them, withdrew money from the ATM and left.

After that, he tried to generate a new ATM PIN but was facing difficulties.

On seeing this, one of the non-locals who introduced himself as an SBI staff, offered to help him.

Johnson had explained that believing the non-local, he handed over his ATM card for generating his PIN but when the PIN could not be generated, he became suspicious about the intent of the two non-locals because of the recent ATM skimming incidents in Manipur.

Moreover, he was aware of the video circulated by CCPS regarding ATM frauds, the SP explained.

Furthermore, when Johnson was about to leave, he noticed one of the non-locals typing his ATM PIN while inserting their own ATM card due to which he became more suspicious and enquired about the non-local man's action but he replied that he was from Defence.

Johnson informed that one of the duo disappeared while he was engaged in conversation with the other.

He became even more suspicious when the one with whom he was taking, tried to flee the scene in a hurry.

After chasing him for a while with some local people of the area, they were able to nab the non-local man and he was handed over to a team of CCPS who arrived at the spot.

Joyce continued that after the non-local was taken in by the CCPS, he was interrogated during which he revealed that they arrived in Imphal on February 26 from Delhi by air and had been staying at a hotel in MG Avenue.

Acting swiftly, the CCPS personnel reached the hotel and searched for the two accomplices of Sanjay Kumar.

However, it was learned that they had checked out from the hotel in a hurry.

Suspecting that they would try to flee the State, the CCPS ruled out the airport as it was night time and instead launched a search at Jiri Parking and North AOC area to check for passengers leaving Imphal.

Finally, the CCPS personnel were able to nab the two individuals, Krishan Rana (29) s/o Rajbir of Bhiwani, Haryana and Ashok Kumar (38) s/o Balbir of Sultanpuri, Delhi from North AOC, the SP conveyed.

Informing that evidence and clues have been recovered from the trio, including mobile phones, documents, details of some ATM cards suspected to have been skimmed by them since their arrival from Delhi on February 26, Joyce assured that the holders of the said ATM cards are being contacted so that they can take necessary precautions.

She further said that Sanjay Kumar claimed to have thrown away a bluetooth card reader used in the crime while fleeing along Kwakeithel Sega Road and appealed to the general public to hand over the same, if found.

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