The Hyderabad Police on Tuesday arrested two people for allegedly running a fake ATM card scam and cheating 46 people of Rs 35 lakh, PTI reported. The accused are believed to be part of a four-member group of Romanian nationals.
“Vasile Gabriel Razvan and his friend Buricea Alexandru Mihai were the ones arrested,” said Cyberabad Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar. “The other two, Ticu Bogdan Costinel and Puica Eugn Marian, are absconding and a search is on to nab them.”
Razvan reportedly planned the whole operation and arranged business visas for the others. He visited Hyderabad with Mihai in December 2017, and identified ATM kiosks that did not have any security, Sajjanar said. Costinel and Marian allegedly visited the city between February and March and placed skimmers – devices used to steal the personal information stored on people’s debit cards – at the ATMs.
Costinel and Marian left India in April. The same month, Razvan and Mihai purportedly went to Mumbai, cloned the cards using the data and withdrew a total of Rs 35 lakh from different ATMs.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!