JAMMU: Police in Poonch district on Saturday arrested an alleged ATM card-swapping fraudster who was also found to be involved in drug abuse and peddling, officials said.
The accused, identified as Aejaz Ahmed, a resident of Morha Bachai village, was arrested during investigation of a cheating and theft case registered at Surankote Police Station.
According to police, the accused allegedly targeted ATM users, particularly at outlets without security guards.
He would offer assistance to unsuspecting users, observe their PIN while they carried out transactions and then allegedly replace their ATM card with another card.
Police said he would subsequently use the swapped card and captured PIN to withdraw money from the victims’ bank accounts.
The investigation further revealed that the money obtained through such fraudulent withdrawals was allegedly used to procure heroin, which the accused reportedly consumed as well as sold to others.
Police said the findings pointed to a nexus between financial fraud and drug trafficking.
The accused has also been found involved in several other cases, including financial fraud and drug peddling cases registered at Surankote Police Station last year, besides another drug-peddling case registered at Poonch Police Station.
Several complaints regarding similar ATM frauds are also under inquiry, while police are investigating possible further linkages.
The accused is presently in police remand and further investigation is underway.
In a separate incident, police arrested two alleged drug peddlers and recovered 13.7 grams of heroin during checking at Phalata in the Rehambal area of Udhampur district on Friday.
The accused were identified as Showkat Ahmad Lessu and Waseem Ahmad Kanday, both residents of Srinagar.
A case has been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
