Rajkot’s Bhaktinagar police have arrested one Anish Safi Mohammad Mav (31), a resident of Nuh, Haryana, for orchestrating various ATM frauds influenced by YouTube videos.

Anish, a mechanical engineer-turned-thief, started manipulating ATMs by using a key to access the monitor, withdraw money, and then cause a transaction error by turning off the switch inside the monitor.

Afterwards, he would call the bank’s helpline, falsely claiming that the money was deducted from his account but not dispensed by the ATM. This led the bank to reverse the transaction, allowing him to commit fraud by receiving the money twice.

It has been revealed that he has carried out similar frauds with several banks in Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat.

Anish entered the Canara Bank ATM located in Shyam Complex near Nagarik Bank Chowk in Rajkot, withdrew ₹9,000, tampered with the ATM, caused the transaction to decline, and filed a complaint to retrieve the ₹9,000. 

However, his scheme was exposed, and the bank filed a complaint against him with the Bhaktinagar police. Based on this, Police Inspector (PI) Mayurdhwajsinh Sarvaiya and Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) M N Vasava started an investigation and arrested him.

The police seized two ATM cards used in the crime, a total of 33 ATM cards from different banks, and two keys used to open the ATM monitor. They also confiscated his mobile phone and a total of ₹5,000 in cash.

During questioning, the police learned that Anish previously worked at an automobile company in Sanand.

After the company faced shutdown, he returned to Haryana, where he prepared for the Junior Clerk exam in the electrical department for about a year but failed. 

After his recurring failure, he met a friend who informed him about ATM fraud. He then learned how to commit fraud by watching videos on YouTube.

He then started committing ATM fraud, beginning with Haryana and later expanding to Rajasthan and Gujarat.

In Gujarat, he committed fraud twice in Nadiad, four to five times in Ahmedabad, six times in Jamnagar, seven to eight times in Rajkot, twice in Gandhidham of Kutch, and in other cities including Surendranagar.

Over the past two years, he has committed numerous frauds with several banks, but this is the first time he has been caught. He rented different bank accounts, obtained their ATM cards, and used them to commit fraud.

Since the amount was less than ₹10,000, in 60% of cases, the bank refunded the amount.

He informed the police that in the cases he claimed,he successfully received the amount in 60% of cases. When the banks checked the CCTV cameras installed in the ATM and saw footage of him withdrawing the money, they did not refund the amount to his account, i.e., the amount was not reversed to his account.

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