ATM fraud kingpin arrested in Delhi, over 50 cases solved

A man, suspected of heading an organised ATM fraud gang and allegedly involved in over 50 cases of cheating, was arrested in the national capital, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Ravi Kumar Bharti (36), a resident of Bihar, was apprehended from the Rajpur Khurd area in Chhattarpur.

According to the police, this arrest has led to the resolution of at least five cases, with Bharti linked to more than 50 incidents of ATM fraud across various parts of Delhi.

The case came to light following a complaint from Avtar Singh, a resident of Paschim Vihar, who alleged he was defrauded of Rs 35,000 at an ATM kiosk in September of the previous year.

An e-FIR was registered at the Paschim Vihar East police station, and two other suspects, Raushan Kumar and Pintu Kumar, were arrested earlier. During interrogation, they revealed that the operation was being conducted under Bharti’s direction.

Police stated that the gang employed a well-planned modus operandi to target unsuspecting ATM users, particularly the elderly.

They would apply adhesive inside ATM card slots to trap cards and paste fake customer care numbers at kiosks. Posing as bank officials, they would trick victims into revealing their PINs and later withdraw money using the trapped cards, police said.

“A team carried out CCTV analysis to track the accused, and he was arrested. So far, nine victims have been identified, leading to the registration of four FIRs and five complaints. Bharti was previously involved in at least seven criminal cases,” the officer said, adding that further investigation into the matter is underway.