Spate of robberies at ATMs:

Sleuths bust international bank robbery

By Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

With the introduction of the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) and multiple Credit Card systems in banks many years ago in Sri Lanka, transaction of business has become easier and faster for its customers.

But in the same breath transaction of business becomes vulnerable to fraudsters when its secret code is compromised to draw large sums of money.

It has happened in the past and continues to happen without any solution being worked out to keep computer hackers at bay.

Big frauds have been committed with the use of forged credit cards for withdrawal of cash from ATMs.

Several such bank frauds have been investigated in the past by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Embezzlement of money from the banking network using technology is common in the west. But in recent times such frauds are also taking place in Sri Lanka. Local banks have become vulnerable and are not immune to computer hackers, a senior police officer told the “Sunday Observer.”

Private Bank

The latest ATM fraud came to light when three customers who had bank deposits in a reputed private bank at Wellawatte complained that large sums of money have been withdrawn from their bank accounts by someone without their knowledge.

The bank officials investigated their complaint and found that someone had drawn their cash by compromising the secret ATM code.

The freighting scenarios was that the money was drawn by someone in Italy. According to police it was the first time that such a fraud had taken place in the country. As it was a serious matter the bank promptly referred the matter to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last December.

In the meantime several customers who had deposits in a state bank in Colombo Fort also complained that their monies have been withdrawn by someone without their knowledge. Meanwhile the Director CID, SSP Amarasinghe, detailed a team of sleuths from the Frauds Squad to investigate the ATM fraud.

They commenced investigation by downloading images recorded in the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) installed in the private bank at Wellawatte and also the state bank in Fort.

Two foreigners

Sleuths came across the images of two foreigners and a woman standing near the Automated Teller Machine at Wellawatte. The man was seen taking measurements of the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) while the woman stood away gazing at the road on the lookout for anyone approaching the ATM.

Two hours later a local man approached the ATM machine, fitted it with a device and quietly walked away. The images recorded in the CCTV footage looked suspicious. Nevertheless it gave a vital clue for the sleuths. They realised from the CCTV images the foreign couple and the local man had visited the ATM machine on three consecutive days. Following the discovery a surveillance was organised to cover ATM machines stretching from Wellawatte to Galle to keep a tab on those who visited them.

The breakthrough came a few days later when two men clad in Teeshirts visited the ATM machine at Wellawatte. One person resembled the man whose image was found on the CCTV footage.

The men having withdrawn money left in a jeep in the direction of Galle. The sleuths began their investigation by trailing their vehicle.

The chase finally ended up at Galle. Sleuths noticed the two men drove their vehicle into a deserted house at Punchi Kuruduwatte.

Meanwhile, the sleuths made discreet inquiries from the Grama Niladhari and learnt the inmates who occupied the home at Punchi Kuruduwatte at Kandegoda were away in Italy.

The sleuths then showed the photograph of the man taken from the CCTV footage and the Grama Niladhari said he was a member of the family.

Midnight knock

The sleuths then visited Punchi Kuruduwatte area and made further inquiries from neighbours about the family who lived in Italy. The neighbours told police that a son who lived in Italy, had returned to the country a month ago.

They told them that he leaves home early in the morning and returns only in the night. Having gathered sufficient information regarding the man from Italy, the sleuths decided to raid the house.

They drove back to Punchi Kuruduwatte and stopped the vehicle near the suspect’s home. Thereafter they tip-toed into the compound and surrounded the home. The house was in pitch darkness except for an electrical bulb flickering inside a room. The sudden midnight knock on their door took them by surprise. The sleuths introduced themselves and the two men began cooperating with them.

Their bedroom was searched thoroughly and the sleuths recovered 75 credit cards with pin numbers, a foreign manufactured pistol, a lap Top and details of credit card transactions recorded in a book. The two suspects were arrested following the recovery of an unlicensed pistol along with the haul of credit cards with pin numbers. The suspects were then whisked away to Colombo for further interrogation. Sleuths subsequently came to know the foreign couple were the masterminds behind the international credit card fraud racket.

The couple had worked out a mechanism to uncover pin numbers of European credit card holders and withdraw large sums of monies from Automated Teller Machines (ATM) scattered across Europe. The couple for the first time have managed to uncover pin numbers of Sri Lankan credit card holders and withdraw money from Italy.

Following the exposure of the international credit card racket the Interpol have been alerted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for the arrest the foreign couple who slipped away from Sri Lanka a fortnight ago. The couple is believed to have taken a flight to Italy a fortnight ago. Meanwhile Interpol have alerted several countries to be on the lookout for the fugitive couple who are believed to be on the run.

It brings back our memories to the yesteryear movie of Bonnie and Clyde the notorious bank robbers.

Meanwhile the two local persons arrested in connection with the Credit Card racket were produced before the Colombo South Magistrate last week and a detention order was obtained to further interrogate them.