Cop arrested for duping people in Jammu

Jammu, Dec 9: Police Monday arrested a cop for duping people through fraudulent ATM transactions and recovered over Rs 2 lakh and 5 ATM cards from his possession, in Domana area of Jammu.

“The Jammu Police have successfully arrested a serving police official involved in a series of fraudulent ATM transactions, duping innocent citizens. The arrest resulted in the recovery of Rs 2,02,200, five ATM cards and a bike used in committing the crimes,” a police spokesperson said.

“The case first came to light when an elderly resident of Barnai, Prem Nath Raina, son of Jagan Nath Raina, reported to Police Post Chinore that an unknown person had dishonestly used his ATM card to withdraw a significant amount of money from his bank account,” spokesperson said.

“Acting swiftly, FIR No. 203/2024 under Section 318(4) of the BNS Act was registered at Police Station Domana. Subsequently, several more complaints were lodged by other victims, leading to the registration of additional FIRs under the same section viz., FIR No 258/2024; FIR No 280/2024; FIR No 281/2024 and FIR No 282/2024. A dedicated investigation team analysed CCTV footage from ATMs and petrol pumps, conducted technical scrutiny and gathered intelligence,” spokesperson said.

These efforts led to the identification and arrest of the main suspect Pardeep Singh Thakur,  resident of Shankli, tehsil Dessa, district Doda, currently residing at 82/8 Resham Ghar Colony, Bakshi Nagar, spokesperson said.

“Shockingly, the accused, a serving police official, was found to be the mastermind behind the scam. His modus-operandi involved targeting elderly citizens or individuals unfamiliar with ATM operations. Posing as a helpful bystander, he would gain access to their PINs, swap their ATM cards with similar-looking ones and later use the stolen cards to withdraw money. When the daily ATM withdrawal limit was reached, the accused would exploit the stolen cards further by using them at petrol pumps to extract more money,” he added.

The investigation also revealed the involvement of two petrol pump employees who assisted the accused by swapping the stolen cards in exchange for a share of the fraudulent proceeds.

“All three suspects have been arrested, and further inquiries are ongoing. The police anticipate additional recoveries and arrests in the coming days. With these arrests, five FIRs registered at Police Station Domana have been solved,” spokesperson said.

“The breakthrough was achieved through the dedicated efforts of the in-charge Police Post Chinore, SHO Domana, and SDPO Domana, under the close supervision of SP Rural Jammu, Brijesh Sharma. Their teamwork and meticulous investigation have ensured justice for the victims and sent a strong message against such fraudulent activities,” spokesperson said.