THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The city police have begun proceedings to bring three Romanian nationals held in the UK and Germany by the Interpol in connection with the SBI ATM fraud that took place in the city two years ago. Bogdan Florian and Victor Constantine were arrested in London on Saturday, while Popescue was arrested in Germany last week.
According to ACP V Suresh Kumar, a police team will visit the UK soon to bring back the accused. He added that one more accused is still at large in Romania.“In total, six persons were involved in the crime. The key accused was arrested immediately after the incident. The second accused, Ianut Alexander Marino, was arrested by the Interpol last month and was handed over to us earlier this month. So, the three arrested persons will be brought here soon. However, one more person is yet to be nabbed and he is in Romania. We have already intimated the Interpol to take steps to catch him,” said Kumar.
The main accused, Illie Marian Gabrielle, was arrested from Mumbai on August 10, 2016, after a hacking was reported at an ATM counter in Vellayambalam. It was on July 8, 2016, that a six-member team from Romania arrived here.
They were travelling on tourist visas and were staying at a hotel in Pazhavangady. They allegedly collected ATM card details and PIN numbers of around 100 customers by installing a Wi-Fi router at an ATM in Vellayambalam.
Later, they gained access to the customers’ accounts and withdrew money.More than 60 unsuspecting customers had lodged complaints with the city police at Peroorkada, Museum and Vattiyoorkavu police stations, stating that unknown persons had siphoned off money from their accounts.