Sleuths of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the Chennai police arrested a businessman on Saturday for alleged misuse of Electronic Data Capturing (EDC) machines.
According to police, Anbu runs three business establishments — Ayur Plus Therapy in T. Nagar and Moon Holidays in T. Nagar and Uthandi. He purchased three EDC machines from Axis Bank under the pretext of using them in his centres.
Inspector Selvakumar of the CCB-credit fraud wing said Anbu had collected the data of customers of banks in other countries including USA, Australia and Canada and had made forged credit cards.
“He then started swiping these cards on the EDC machines and siphoned off Rs. 80,000 from customers abroad,” he said.
When the customers received notifications of the transactions, they informed their respective banks. The banks then found out that the transactions were being made in India and informed Axis Bank. “The bank investigated and found they were being made from the three EDC machines supplied to Anbu. When the bank officials asked him for the transaction charge slips, he refused to surrender the slips and the EDC machines. He also threatened them,” said the officer.
The bank officials then lodged a police complaint and the CCB sleuths started investigating. But Anbu was absconding for a while. “He had gone to Singapore recently and was supposed to travel to Abu Dhabi soon. We arrested him on Saturday from his house in Aminjikarai. During interrogation he said he was not sure about the identity of the people who sent him the data of the banks’ customers. He must have gathered them during his visits abroad,” said Mr. Selvakumar.
Anbu is said to have purchased EDC machines from other banks as well. He was remanded to judicial custody.
