The Guntur Urban Police nabbed a conman who has been allegedly cheating gullible customers at ATMs.
Mupparaju Surendra, 24, of Santhamaguluru in Prakasam district, had over the last few months allegedly duped over 10 people in the State and made away with ₹4 lakh. The police recovered ₹1.60 lakh from him.
Superintendent of Police, Guntur Urban SP Sarvashresth Tripathi told mediapersons here on Monday that Surendra usually used to lay in wait at ATM centres and targeted elderly persons. He reportedly offered them help in withdrawing money and got to know the security PIN number. After withdrawing money, he allegedly handed over a duplicate card while retaining the original card. He then withdrew money from the ATM within 24 hours before the customer blocks the card. Using this modus operandi , the accused allegedly cheated more than 10 persons in Vijayawada, Nellore and other towns.
On May 27, Surendra was waiting at the SBI ATM near Chandana Brothers shopping mall. He saw a elderly man seeking to withdraw money and offered help. After stealing the card, he withdrew ₹40,000 and later went to another ATM at Nagarampalem.
A police complaint was filed at Lalapet police station the following day. A team led by Guntur East DSP Santhosh looked at CCTV images based on the transaction history of the bank account. The police also tracked the bank accounts to which the suspect has been transferring money. A customer revealed the phone number of the suspect and based on this lead, the police nailed him.
