KOTA: A 21-year-old youth from Uttar Pradesh, along with a minor boy, used a duplicate key of an ATM cover box to steal cash. They made away with thousands of rupees from ATMs in his home state and Rajasthan. However, he was caught red-handed at an SBI ATM in Kota on Sunday this week and was sent to jail under judicial custody on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the minor boy was sent to a juvenile shelter home.A 1.11-minute video of the two unlocking the ATM box, directed by the security guard and the victim himself after they had caught them red handed, appeared on social media platform on Thursday.Circle Inspector at Jawahar Nagar police station, Ramlaksman, stated that city resident Lokendra Singh (21) complained to the police on Sunday this week that cash of rupees 20,000 was stuck in the ATM machine while withdrawing, and he suspected some foul play. The complainant and the guard at the ATM were asked to keep a watch over the ATM from a distance by the time the police reached there, he added.In the meantime, the complainant left the ATM to keep a watch from a distance, and a few minutes later, the two reached the ATM to finish their task. They were caught red-handed by the security guard and the complainant himself and handed over to the police, the Circle Inspector said.The accused, identified as Shiva alias Avinash Verma (21) of Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, along with a minor boy from Kanpur in UP, learned through YouTube the technique to steal cash with a duplicate key of the ATM box, he further said.The accused would malfunction the ATM in a way that cash got stuck at the time of the transaction, and the two would keep an eye on the customer. As soon as the puzzled customer left the ATM, the two would enter there at the appropriate time, unlock the box, and make away with the cash. Cash of Rs. 20,000, which was stuck in the machine, was also recovered, the Circle Inspector said.The accused admitted to committing similar crimes with a duplicate key at ATMs in Kanpur and Fatehpur in UP, and it was the first time they came to Kota a few days ago. The police lodged a case under various sections of BNS against the two and produced accused Shiva alias Avinash before the court on Monday, which ordered to send him to jail under judicial custody. Meanwhile, the minor boy was sent to a juvenile shelter home.
