Scammer Absconds With Rs 57,000 From Woman At ATM

The Bhandup police have initiated a search for a suspect accused of deceiving a 60 years old woman within a bank premise. The alleged perpetrator purportedly convinced the woman that the money she withdrew contained counterfeit notes. Under the pretense of assisting her in identifying these fake bills, he reportedly stole Rs 57,000 from her cash.

On 22 May, Rajshree Laxmanaingh Kandari, residing in Tanajiwadi, Bhandup, visited a nationalised bank to withdraw funds from her savings account. Kandari, unable to fill out the withdrawal form herself, sought assistance from a bank employee. According to a police official, she withdrew a total of Rs 1.37 lakh and placed the cash in her bag before departing. At this point, an unidentified individual from the bank approached her, alleging the presence of counterfeit currency among her notes.

The individual proceeded to inspect the cash, taking it from her hand for examination. Subsequently, he returned the money to her bag, assuring her of its authenticity, as per the officer's statement.

Accompanied by her daughter, Kandari later visited another bank to deposit the money. During the counting process at the second bank, she discovered a shortfall of Rs 57,000. Upon returning to the nationalised bank in Bhandup, she raised the issue of the missing funds with the bank staff.

Upon reviewing the CCTV footage, the staff identified the individual who had inspected the notes as the perpetrator of the theft. Subsequently, Kandari reported the incident to the Bhandup police station. "We have obtained footage of the suspect and are actively searching for him," stated Police Inspector Anil Jaykar of the Bhandup police station.