Chennai: A Greater police team which arrested a key suspect in the SBI ATM thefts from a hideout in Haryana, would bring him back to the city.
Police have seized Rs 4.5 lakh from Amir Alimuddin who was arrested in Mewat district. The police team is camping in Haryana on the trail of more suspects.
The gang was involved in novel thefts at more than 18 SBI ATM cash deposit machines. The police said the fraudsters targeted only cash deposit machines and used a single debit card. Using the card, they opted to withdraw cash. When the cash was in the dispenser, they blocked the sensor signal for 20 seconds and took the money.
If the cash is not withdrawn within this period, the machine takes the money back and the amount debited from the account is reversed. However, in this case, the fraudsters held it open, then released it, giving the machine the cue that it was taking back the cash while they had actually removed the notes.
The State Bank of India halted operations across its ATMs in Tamilnadu following the incident. The central crime branch of the Chennai city police has taken over the investigation.