Cuttack: In a significant breakthrough, the Athagarh Police on Thursday arrested two members of an inter-district ATM card swapping racket that primarily targeted senior citizens, looting lakhs of rupees through fraudulent purchases.
The accused have been identified as Manoj Kumar Sahu (35) of Polasara and Pradeep Kumar Sahu (28) of Buguda, both hailing from Ganjam district.
Addressing a press conference, Cuttack SP (Junior Administrative Grade) Prateek Singh said the duo operated by loitering near ATMs and approaching elderly persons under the pretext of offering help.
“They would cleverly swap the victim’s ATM card and later use it to make high-value purchases, mainly gold, from jewellery shops in other districts. This tactic allowed them to bypass ATM withdrawal limits,” the SP said.
Preliminary investigations reveal that Manoj, the prime accused, has been involved in such activities for nearly a decade.
“After procuring the gold using stolen cards, the accused would resell the ornaments to other jewellery shops to convert them into cash,” the officer added.
Police have so far registered three cases in the Athagarh area linked to this racket.
During the operation, police seized Rs 3.10 lakh in cash, 26 ATM cards, 93 grams of gold coins, and 4 mobile phones from their possession.
Further investigation is underway to trace the wider network and identify potential accomplices.
