NAGPUR: Notorious thief, Mayur Kayarkar, adopted a novel way to steal cash from ATM kiosks across the city, leaving police stunned and the gullible clueless on their money. Kayarkar adopted a unique modus operandi, which he mastered from social media videos — insert a black vinyl-coated aluminium strip into the cash dispensing outlet.
After account holders would key in their PIN, to their utter dismay, the ATM whirred and whizzed, signalling counting of currency notes, but failed to dispense cash.Actually, the machine did dispense notes that would get stuck under the strip inserted by Kayarkar. After disappointed customers would leave empty handed despite cash deducted from their account, Kayarkar would sneak inside the kiosk to remove the strip and pick up the cash.
Kayarkar roamed the city to steal money from ATM kiosks in this manner. Police said he was facing 20 offences, but the actual number may be much more.
A crime branch team led by senior inspector Ramesh Kale and comprising sub-inspector Avinash Jaybhaye and others nabbed Kayarkar near Manewada. The police team claimed the lure of making easy money made Kayarkar — who ran up at least a ₹5-lakh debt — to target ATM kiosks.
He was netted by the crime branch cops shortly after he had made two futile attempts to steal cash from ATM kiosks at Kadbi Chowk and near Kamal Chowk on Saturday morning. He was caught with the help of CCTV footage which captured his vehicle’s registration number plate.
The crook’s newly purchased Bullet bike — captured in CCTV camera — helped police track him down. Sources said Kayarkar’s father-in-law had gifted him the bike, but it was registered in his wife’s name.
Kayarkar was later handed over to Jaripatka police station by the crime branch for his alleged role in a theft at an ATM kiosk at Kadbi Chowk earlier.
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