Man loses 1.3 lakh in ATM fraud in Kolkata; another kiosk looted in Howrah

ATM crimes reported in Kolkata and Howrah, with one victim losing ₹1.3 lakh and miscreants breaking into an SBI ATM.

Two crimes related to ATMs were reported in Kolkata on Friday and Saturday .

Police said in Kolkata’s Survey Park, a man lost ₹1.3 lakh in an ATM fraud. Arupjyoti Pradhan, the victim, had gone to withdraw cash from an SBI ATM on Friday night.

“When I inserted the card, it disappeared into the machine. On calling the helpline number displayed in the ATM, I was told to enter the PIN and then cancel the transaction. I was told that I will be able to retrieve the card tomorrow when I go to the bank with my Aadhaar card,” he said.

Following the call, multiple debits of ₹10,000 were done from his account. “I could transfer the rest of my savings to a different account on time, but I had lost ₹1.3 lakh by then,” he said.

In Howrah, miscreants broke into an SBI ATM early on Saturday. Police from Sankrail police station and forensic experts rushed to the spot after locals reported the incident.

The Commissioner of Howrah Police Praveen Kumar Tripathi said miscreants opened the ATM’s vault with a gas cutter. The machine caught fire during the theft after electrical wires caught fire. “We have located the vehicle used in the crime and have retrieved tools, including the gas cutter. The gang that carried out this act has been identified, and the vehicle has been seized. We hope to apprehend them soon,” Mr. Tripathi said. He could not confirm the amount of money stolen.

Police sources said the miscreants had stolen the vehicle before breaking into the ATM.