Ghaziabad: Four members of an interstate cyber fraud gang were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly hacking ATMs and cash deposit machines using app-controlled smart plugs to steal money.Ahsan, 27, Siraj, 34, and Rahish, 22 — all residents of Nuh in Haryana — and Aarif, 26, a resident of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh, live in Sahibabad’s Shaheed Nagar area. The accused would preinstall smart plugs in the power supply of the machines and control them through the Smart Life app, police said, adding the accused have been involved in “similar crimes in other states, including Haryana and Maharashtra”.“The accused confessed that when a customer deposited or withdrew cash, they would hack the machine and disrupt its functioning, trapping the cash. After the customer left, they would open the machine with the help of a screwdriver and a tool made from a bicycle’s iron spoke and take the cash out,” DCP Surendra Nath Tiwari said.The DCP said the accused carried out most robberies before the ATMs opened or on holidays. While Ahsan and Siraj hacked the machines, Aarif and Rahish kept watch.On Tuesday, Canara Bank’s Rajendra Nagar branch manager Chhavi Airan lodged a complaint with police alleging unknown people tampered with the bank’s cash deposit machine between June 27 and June 29.“The CCTV footage showed suspicious activity around the ATM premises between about 3 a.m. and 9.25 a.m. Upon physical verification of the ATM and cash reconciliation, a cash shortage of Rs 8,37,100 was found,” Airan said. Following the complaint, a case was registered at Sahibabad police station.Police said the gang used the modus operandi to target a Punjab National Bank ATM in Rajendra Nagar. While no complaint has been received from the bank so far, police are verifying the incident. Rs 4 lakh, a Scorpio allegedly purchased with the stolen money, a Santro car used in the crimes, and equipment used to carry out the cyber fraud were recovered from their possession.
