A six-member interstate gang that used cello tape and Feviquick to seal ATM cash dispensers and steal money from bank customers was arrested by Kurar police in Mumbai on Tuesday.
The gang struck at an HDFC Bank ATM in Shivajinagar area in Kurar jurisdiction on December 21. The complainant had gone to withdraw money from the ATM, but despite following the correct procedure, no money came out. The gang had sealed the cash dispenser with cello tape and Feviquick. The complainant lost 2,000 rupees in the incident.
The complainant filed a complaint with Kurar police, following which senior police inspector Shashikant Jagdale, Sanjay Gawde and a team of officers launched an investigation. They checked CCTV footage from the area and spotted a suspicious auto-rickshaw leaving the scene. The police traced the auto-rickshaw and arrested four people from Appa Pada rickshaw stand.
Further investigation revealed that the gang had 27 plastic strips, 25 pouches and six tubes of Feviquick, white cello tape, 10 ATM cards of different banks and the complainant's 2,000 rupees in their possession. The police also seized the auto-rickshaw used in the crime.
The arrested accused have been identified as Ramu Ram alias Aditya Bharatiya (29), Suraj Tiwari (22), Sandeep Kumar Yadav (24), Ashok Yadav (36), Rakesh Kumar Yadav (40) and Ravi Kumar Yadav (31).
The gang is also suspected to have committed similar crimes in Samata Nagar police jurisdiction. Police said that 11 cases have been registered against the gang in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The police are investigating if the gang has any other accomplices.