Govandi Crime: Thieves set up cameras inside ATMs to crack code, nabbed

Representation pic

Govandi police cracked a unique ATM cash theft case and arrested two accused, one on February 5 and the other on November 10. The 27-year-old kingpin used to work as a cash loader in Punjab and had learnt various ways to open ATMs during his stint. Police are currently on the lookout for the third accused.

The case came to light after the manager of a cooperative bank approached Govandi police on January 11, saying Rs 4.1 lakh was missing from their ATM in Chembur. Upon checking CCTV footage, police officers found a duo walking towards the ATM between 1 pm and 1.55 pm and then heading to a car. This caught the police's eye as the duo had walked into the ATM with a blue bag and the car had a Punjab number plate.

Both the accused are currently in the custody of Govandi police. Representation pic

Cops found that the vehicle was registered to one Gurpal Harnek Singh from Bhatinda, Punjab. Govandi police, with the help of the local crime branch, arrested Singh alias Rinka, 34, and recovered around Rs 40,000 cash from his car in a blue bag, as seen in the CCTV footage. Rinka was subsequently arrested on February 5. Police officers also seized Rs 30,000 from his house.

During interrogation, Rinka said he had only used the car and that the mastermind was Lakhbir Singh alias Lakkha. Mumbai police and Punjab police then launched a search for Lakkha but he managed to evade arrest. On October 25 around 8.15 am, an ATM security guard in Talegaon Dabhade, Pune noticed three people taking too much time. Upon checking, he found one of them trying to open the machine panel. He raised an alarm, leading to the arrest of the trio - Lakhvir Singh, 27; Rameshkumar Chawla, 48; and Sindharsingh Gaggu, 34.

Govandi police learnt about this and checked with Rinka who identified Lakkha. "We took custody of the accused from Talegaon and arrested him on November 10," said Balasaheb Kedare, senior inspector, Govandi police station. During interrogation, Lakkha told police about the modus operandi. "Lakkha had worked as a cash loader for a local bank in Punjab and knew different ways to open ATM machines. Many banks use passwords to open the cash tray. While corporate and nationalised banks have different passwords to open and close the tray, many co-operative banks have only one," said Assistant Police Inspector Pramod Bhosale.

"Lakkha used to open the ATM machine with a screwdriver and put a small camera inside the machine to record the password. After Rinka's arrest, he formed a new team and stole money using the same modus operandi. But in October, he was caught with his associates," added API Bhosale. Both the accused allegedly used to steal money to support their addiction.

Rs 4.1L
Money stolen from the ATM in Govandi