Delhi Man cheats ATM user, purchases electronic appliances using his card; arrested

Delhi Police has arrested a 39-year-old man for allegedly cheating an ATM user by swapping his debit card and using it to purchase household appliances, an official said on Monday.

Police arrested Mohd Kareem, a resident of Jafrabad in northeast Delhi, while probing a cheating case registered earlier this month, he said.

During the investigation, police recovered several household items, including a washing machine, an oil heater, an electric press and an air purifier, which were allegedly purchased using swapped debit cards.

Police recovered as many as 61 debit and credit cards along with three fake motorcycle number plates (front and rear) from his possession, they said.

The case came to light after an e-FIR was registered on January 17 in which the complainant, Roshan, alleged that his debit card had been swapped at an ATM in Mukherjee Nagar on January 3.

The complainant told police that while he was attempting to withdraw cash, an unknown man approached him on the pretext of helping with a technical issue, took his card briefly and returned it. Later, money was withdrawn from his account without his knowledge.

Subsequent analysis revealed that Rs 20,000 had been withdrawn from the complainant’s account and that the card was later used at an electronics showroom in Model Town to purchase various items.

Acting on a tip-off, the team conducted raids at multiple locations before arresting Kareem, a senior police officer said.

During interrogation, Kareem confessed to his involvement in the case and admitted to committing similar offences to earn easy money, the officer said.

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Kareem was also found to be previously involved in a theft and cheating case registered in 2023 at the New Ashok Nagar police station, the officer added.

Efforts are on to recover the complainant’s original debit card and trace the source of the recovered debit and credit cards, police said, adding that further investigation in the case is underway.