This story is from November 29, 2020

Rs1.3 lakh withdrawn from cop’s account, card cloning suspected

Rs1.3 lakh withdrawn from cop’s account, card cloning suspected
Pune: A 57-year-old policeman lost Rs1.30 lakh earlier this month in a case of suspected debit card cloning.
As per a first-information report registered with the Cantonment police on Friday, the money was debited over 33 withdrawals at various ATMs between November 1 and 4.
The complainant, assistant sub-inspector Jameel Rehman Shaikh — posted with the Yerawada police — was out shopping in Camp on November 1, when he ran out of cash.

“Shaikh a rushed to a nearby ATM, at Sharbatwala Chowk, withdrew cash and paid the shop owner. He then removed his SIM card and gave his cellphone for repair at a mobile shop,” senior inspector Ashok Kadam, in-charge of the Cantonment police, said on Saturday.
Shaikh collected his cellphone on November 4. “He put his SIM card in the cellphone and switched it on and was shocked to receive a flurry of SMSs from his bank about varying sums being debited from his account,” Kadam said, adding that a total of Rs1.3 lakh was debited.
“Shaikh first filed a complaint application with the cybercrime police station at Shivajinagar on November 6. The officers conducted a preliminary inquiry and referred the complaint to us,” Kadam said, explaining the delay in filing the FIR.

A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
Shaikh told police that he never shared his debit card details or any one-time passwords with anyone, and that he suspected that his card details were skimmed at the Sharbatwala Chowk ATM.
Police said they had yet to receive similar complaints from other people.
Kadam said when they visited the ATM, they didn’t find any skimmer or camera unit. “The fraudsters removed the skimmer and camera from the unit. They had carried out 33 transactions, withdrawing Rs9,000, Rs4,000 and Rs10,000 in turns. They also did nine transactions for a zero amount to check if the card was still active,” Kadam said.
“We are analysing CCTV footage to establish the fraudsters’ identity. The cybercrime police are conducting a parallel investigation,” he added.
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About the Author
Asseem Shaikh

Asseem Shaikh is a special correspondent at The Times of India, Pune. He holds a PG degree in Journalism and Communication and Human Rights, and has been a journalist for about 20 years now. He covers the crime and legal beats with special focus on ‘syndicated’ crime, cyber crime, terrorism, custodial deaths, fake encounters and human rights violations. Has made good use of the Right to Information Act for journalistic purposes. He loves to travel.

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