The Greater Chennai City Police arrested a 27-year-old former bank employee from Andhra Pradesh for withdrawing money from lost debit cards in ATM kiosks. The arrest came after V. Karthikventhan, 32, filed a complaint about illegal withdrawals from his account after losing his ATM card.
Police investigation led by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Arumbakkam D. Ramesh, traced the suspect, Thalla Srinivasalu Reddy, to Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh. Reddy, along with an accomplice, had been collecting lost ‘Wi-Fi ATM cards’ in various ATM centers across Chennai for the last three years. The suspects exploited the contactless nature of the cards, allowing them to withdraw money without requiring a password. Once withdrawn, the money was transferred to online gambling portals, making it challenging to trace the proceeds.