Thief snatched money from ATMs nabbed

Nagpur: The police nabbed Mayur Kayarkar, a sly thief executed a highly deceptive theft at ATM kiosks by inserting a black vinyl-coated aluminum strip into the cash dispensing outlet, a technique he learned from social media, made account holders empty-handed despite the deduction of money from the account, Times of India reported.

After account holders entered their PIN, the ATM made the sound indicating that money was being counted. However, to their shock, no cash appeared at the dispensing counter, although they received a deduction message from the bank. The machine had actually dispensed the notes, but they got stuck under the strip inserted by Kayarkar. Once the disappointed customers left without their money, Kayarkar would sneak back into the kiosk, remove the strip, and take the cash.

A crime branch team, led by Senior Inspector Ramesh Kale and including Sub-Inspector Avinash Jaybhaye, apprehended Kayarkar near Manewada. They revealed that Kayarkar, burdened with a debt of at least ₹5 lakh, was enticed by the prospect of easy money, leading him to target ATM kiosks.

Shortly after Kayarkar made two unsuccessful attempts to steal cash from ATM kiosks at Kadbi Chowk and near Kamal Chowk on Saturday morning, he was captured on CCTV footage, which recorded his vehicle's registration number.

The police tracked down Kayarkar with the help of his newly purchased Bullet bike, as seen in CCTV footage. Sources disclosed that although the bike was a gift from his father-in-law, it was registered under his wife's name.