BTech student hacks ATM, held

A 20-year-old BTech student who researched on “how to hack an ATM” and even practised it a few times was caught red handed by an alert security guard posted outside an ATM in south Delhi’s Kalkaji.

Three ATM cards, one small key and ₹30,000 were recovered from his possession. All ATM cards were in the names of other people. Thirty more ATM cards of different banks in the names of different people, along with 40 signed cheques, were recovered from his rented flat in Greater Noida along with a few notes and books relating to the hacking of ATMs. Mukul Rajput, a thirdyear student of Shardha University, Greater Noida, told the police that he learnt the technique of ATM hacking in Kanpur a year ago.

After that he bought some books on hacking and downloaded notes from the internet on how to tamper and hack ATMs. He said he practised it at many ATMs and even succeeded.

On Sunday when he was trying out his tricks at an HDFC ATM in Kalkaji,a security guard, Santosh, caught him and immediately called the beat constable.

Santosh had signed up for the Prehari scheme of Delhi police— an initiative to involve chowkidars and security guards to prevent crime. “The vigilant security guard observed that Rajput had done two ATM transactions and after that the machine had stopped functioning.

The guard, who was keeping an eye on his activities, became suspicious and immediately stopped him. He called the beat constable, who then reached there and questioned Rajput. “On searching him, three ATM cards that did not belong to him were recovered,” DCP southeast, Romil Baaniya said. “The branch manager was called who then gave a written complaint,” he added.