Mumbai crime news: 21-yr-old uses glue to steal from ATMs, held

The ATM that was tampered with on Monday

The Kasturba Marg police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly tampering with ATMs in order to steal cash. The accused, Himanshu Rakesh Tiwari, would glue the money dispensing slot shut, preventing users from withdrawing cash and would grab the notes once the person left. The arrest was made less than an hour after Tiwari tampered with an SBI ATM on MG Road in Borivali East on Monday.

Shafiq Salim Shaikh, 34, the owner of a tour and travel business, had attempted to withdraw cash from the ATM at 12.29 am. Upon realising that the machine had been tampered with as money was not being dispensed despite the machine indicating otherwise, Shaikh immediately alerted the bank via its helpline. The Kasturba Marg police were contacted by the bank officials, who promptly arrived at the scene.

Himanshu Rakesh Tiwari, the accused; (right) A screengrab of footage of the alleged thief at work

The cops requested CCTV footage of the ATM centre between 6 pm on Sunday and 12.30 am on Monday. After reviewing the footage, the authorities identified the accused. Following his trail with the help of traffic CCTV camera footage, it was discovered that Tiwari had visited a travel agency in Borivli East after the theft. He was attempting to book a ticket to Gujarat when the police apprehended him.

"Upon searching Tiwari's belongings, we found Rs 5,000, the amount that Shaikh had attempted to withdraw, along with a box full of Fevikwik glue.Tiwari would apply glue to the dispensation slot. When his victims would leave, thinking the machine was not working, he would access the slot and retrieve the cash using a blade or cutter," said a police officer from the Kasturba Marg police station. Under the guidance of DCP Smita Patil and Senior Inspector Anil Avhad, API Om Totawar and his team nabbed Tiwari, who was held under Sections 379 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.

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"We suspect that Tiwari is part of a large gang that employs the same modus operandi not only in Mumbai but also in other places and states including Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh where the accused hails from. He had committed more than four such offences in the past," the officer added. Another officer said, "We are questioning Tiwari to determine the extent of their operations and how many more ATM centres have been targeted in Mumbai and neighbouring areas."