Thieves hit pay dirt after stealing ATM card with PIN jotted down

A gang of habitual thieves withdrew thousands of rupees from an elderly man's ATM card as he had jotted down the PIN on it.

But their efforts to withdraw more cash from the man's bank account failed as the cops caught them.

Banaswadi police said the gang stole the man's phone and wallet while he was walking on the roadside on May 11. To their disappointment, the wallet didn't have much cash. But they hit pay dirt soon as they found an ATM card in the wallet with the PIN neatly jotted down. The gang rushed to an ATM and withdrew thousands of rupees.

But before the gang could empty the bank balance, police caught them in the early hours of Friday. Police acted after receiving a specific tip-off about a gang plotting dacoity. Until the gang's arrest, the victim didn't know about the cash withdrawal because his phone was also stolen and he didn't get bank alerts.

The arrested suspects have been identified as Shahbaz, 22, Tabrez Khan, 24, both residents of Bharathinagar, and Jafar Sadiq, 20, of KG Halli. Some of their accomplices managed to flee, police said.

Besides the phone and the ATM card, police also recovered a car and some lethal weapons. The gang had bought the car from the crime spoils. The suspects were earlier arrested by KG Halli and DJ Halli police but had secured bail.