The Hassan police on Sunday arrested a citizen of Tanzania on the charge of stealing money by collecting sensitive bank account data from ATM kiosks using a card-skimming machine. The police have recovered valuables worth over ₹7.5 lakh from Andrew Renaltus Saga, 28, who is studying in a college in Mysuru.
He is said to have admitted to stealing up to ₹8.5 lakh in Mysuru, Hassan and other places.
Superintendent of Police A.N. Prakash Gowda, at a press conference on Monday, said the police swung into action following a complaint filed by Krishnamurthy, manager of the Holenarsipur branch of Canara Bank on Saturday.
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The bank had received complaints from its customers about unauthorised cash withdrawals of up to ₹59,300. When they checked the withdrawal history, the bank officials found that the transactions had taken place from one ATM kiosk in Holenarsipur. They visited the kiosk and noticed a camera and a card-skimming machine attached to the ATM. They also checked the CCTV footage from the kiosk and found one person installing the camera and the card-skimming device. Later, they submitted a police complaint along with video evidence of the crime.
Based on the footage, the police traced the accused and took him into custody the next day.
According to the SP, Saga came to India for studies in 2014. He joined the SBRR Mahajana’s College for the B. Com course. He procured the skimming device from China and used it for the first time at a Canara Bank ATM in Mysuru, where he withdrew up to ₹1.59 lakh. He repeated the trick at Holenarsipur, taking ₹1.39 lakh.
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The officer said the accused led a luxurious life, spending the stolen money on a car, a laptop and furniture for his rented room. With his arrest, the police believe they have solved four cases registered in Mysuru city and one in Holenarsipur. He has been booked under the IT Act and Section 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code.