CHENNAI: Pointing to a much wider ATM card skimming racket operational in the city, a data skimmer was found installed in an ATM machine at Tambaram.
After being alerted by staff who went to load cash in the Axis Bank ATM, the bank security guards, on instructions from police, trapped two suspects when they again visited the ATM on Thursday night, apparently to take back the skimmer machine.
Police said the two arrested persons were in the lowest rung of the racket, installing skimmers and taking them back for a fixed payment.
Skimmers are machines that can read the unique electronic data stored in the ATM cards and help duplicating them to swindle money from bank accounts.
Alerted by the bank officials, the police officers advised the bank staff to wait for a few days anticipating that the racketeers would visit the ATM again to collect the skimmer. “From the CCTV footage, we identified the men who installed the device and instructed the bank officials to keep a watch,” said a police officer.
The bank officials circulated the photos to all staff and security guards, asking them to keep vigil. “On Thursday night, the two came to the ATM and our security guard identified them. Soon after they went inside, they pulled down the shutter and trapped them inside,” said an official of the bank.
Police identified the two men as Sulaiman (40) and Sultan (51), both haling from Tirunelveli district.
Enquiries have revealed that the two men were merely involved in installing the skimmers in ATM and taking them back. They were paid Rs 5,000 each for the work.
A manager in a nationalised bank, said, “The skimmers collect all info from the ATM card,. There would be other teams to collect the PINs. Once they succeed in this, they make duplicate cards and swindle money.