Fraudster lands in net

What catapulted his poor life to extravagance was his razor-sharp memory which worked faster than computer. The 22-year-old tenth pass out had no qualms to use his rare skill to the hilt for amassing wealth through sordid means.

Before landing behind bars, Ritesh duped 15 bank account holders, mainly ATM customers of the State Bank of India, of Rs 5 lakh in the last few months. He fraudulently withdrew lakhs of rupees from different accounts through online banking facility and went on a shopping spree.

His modus operandi was simple. He would stand in queues outside the ATM counters to memorise the 16-digit card number of customers. Examining their finger movements on the ATM keyboard, he would understand the PIN number too. Ritesh used internet facility to open an account on the bill desk and did online shopping using these numbers. The fraud came to light when P Kannan, the Superintendent of Police of Munger district, contacted banks following complaints from customers about missing money from their accounts. Banks confirmed that all the debits took place due to online bookings and purchases.

He contacted the service provider and sought technical details which led him to a computer institute in Patna. The owner of the institute, Pawan, on custodial interrogation, told the police that Ritesh was his student.

Further investigation led to the arrest of Ritesh from Lakhisaria.
The extraordinary techno-thief confessed to have withdrawn lakhs of rupees. The goods purchased through online banking were recovered from Pawan’s house.