Dibrugarh: Sivasagar Police arrested four people on Saturday for allegedly targeting elderly ATM users and swapping their cards to withdraw money.The accused, including a woman, were arrested inside an Axis Bank ATM at Simaluguri by a Demow police station team led by Demow co-district SP Hiren Kumar Deka. Police said they were staying at Serene Homestay on Habiram Bora Road in Sivasagar town.The accused were identified as Izazul Islam, Sofiqur Rahman, Giasuddin Ali and Kulsuma Bibi, all from Morigaon district.Police seized 35 ATM cards, Rs 1.54 lakh in cash and a car. The gang was allegedly involved in similar incidents in other parts of Assam, including Karbi Anglong, police said.The arrests followed information about a recent ATM fraud case in Sivasagar, Deka said.“A case came to us in which Rs 25,000 was stolen from the ATM card of an elderly woman, Anjali Gogoi. On Sunday, the Karbi Anglong SSP informed us about a similar incident and shared some details,” Deka said.“Based on those details, under the guidance of the Sivasagar SSP, we launched a search operation. A Demow police team apprehended them inside an Axis Bank ATM at Simaluguri and took them into custody,” he added.Deka said the gang targeted elderly and unsuspecting people unfamiliar with using ATMs. Members allegedly offered to help customers, obtained their PINs and swapped their cards with similar-looking ones.Police said the recovery of 35 ATM cards indicated that the group may have targeted several customers. They advised ATM users not to disclose their PINs or hand over their cards to strangers.
