Bhubaneswar, March 9: Odisha Commissionerate Police on Sunday busted an ATM theft gang after a brief exchange of fire in which one accused criminal sustained bullet injuries near Kesura area under Badagada Police limits of Bhubaneswar here on Sunday, informed Police Commissioner Suresh Dev Datta Singh.

The injured accused who sustained bullet injuries on his left leg was rushed to AIIMS Bhubaneswar where he is undergoing treatment.

“One member of the gang sustained injuries in an encounter with the special squad early this morning. The injured criminal is undergoing treatment at the AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. Three persons including the injured accused have been arrested by the police in the case,” said Singh.

The injured accused identified as Deepak Kumar (25) is a resident of Nawada district in Bihar. Kumar’s other two associates were Deepak Kumar Pande (24) of Nawada in Bihar and Abhisekh Kumar Singh (32) of Chatra in Jharkhand. Commissioner Singh further informed the media that the accused were involved in two cases in Bihar, one in Jharkhand, and four in Odisha, which includes two cases each in Puri and Bhubaneswar.

The police commissioner also expressed hope that the arrest of the trio would bring down incidents of ATM theft in the city and surrounding areas. Police have one country-made 7.65 mm semi-automatic pistol, one round of live ammunition and two fired cartridges, a white TATA Harrier car, cash worth Rs 12,000, three mobile phones, quick fix adhesives, 12 numbers of ATM cards (of different customers), a knife and other incriminating articles.

The city police sources revealed that the three criminals belong to a well-organised interstate Bihar-based gang of criminals who tamper with ATM machines by applying adhesive at the card punching slot of the ATM. The accused persons also display a mobile number on the ATM counter as the bank's helpline number. When any customer punches the card to withdraw cash from the ATM the card gets stuck due to adhesive applied in the slot. If the helpless customer calls the helpline number displayed in the ATM, they cunningly collect the password and other bank and card details of the customer. The accused later pulled out the card from the ATM and withdrew the cash from the particular customer's account using a sharp knife.(IANS)

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