The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Tricksters having a field day

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 27, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Tricksters having a field day

The culprits have been adopting various tricks to divert the attention of the public before snatching their cash bags, writes K.V. SUBRAMANYA

INCIDENTS OF CONMEN targeting people returning from banks after withdrawing cash have been increasing in the city.

Though such cases are being frequently reported from various parts of the city, the police have not arrested the culprits in most of the cases.

Incidentally, the culprits have been adopting different tricks to divert the attention of the public before snatching their cash bags.

In the latest incident, two men, who came on a motorcycle, diverted the attention of a cargo company employee and snatched a bag containing Rs. 50,000 from him in Malleswaram police station limits on Friday.

The incident occurred on the busy 18th Cross, Malleswaram, around 1.30 p.m. while James was walking towards a bus stop after withdrawing the cash from HDFC bank. The motorists diverted James's attention by throwing some filth on his clothes.

In a similar incident reported from Jayanagar police station limits on August 5, a youth tricked a businessman and snatched from him a bag that contained Rs. 80,000 in cash.

Around 11.30 a.m. Mohan Rao, a businessman, withdrew the cash from Canara Bank's branch in 4th Block, Jayanagar.

While he was about to board the car, a youth diverted his attention by telling him that some currency notes from his bag had fallen on the ground. While Rao was looking at the notes, the youth snatched the bag from him and ran away.

Early this year, a youth diverted the attention of Manoj, also a businessman, by telling him that his clothes had been soiled and snatched his bag containing Rs. 55,000 in Peenya police station limits. Manoj, was returning to his shop after withdrawing the cash from Vijaya Bank's branch at T. Dasarahalli.

The other common trick the criminals have been using is "petrol is leaking from your vehicle." Some time ago, Prasad Kumar was driving in his car to his New Thippasandra house after withdrawing Rs. 3.5 lakh from Karnataka Bank's Indiranagar branch. Two motorists stopped him on Suranjandas Road saying that oil was leaking from his vehicle.

When Kumar got down from his vehicle and was checking the fuel tank, the two made away with the cash bag that was in the car. Using the same ploy, motorcycle-borne youths relieved two women, Behanji who was returning from an ATM, and Sandhya Reddy who was heading home from a bank, of their cash bags in Madivala and Basavanagudi police station limits respectively.

In the most sensational of such cases, the K.R. Puram police in December last arrested a 60-year-old woman and her four women accomplices who had allegedly stolen a bag containing Rs. 10 lakh in cash from Syndicate Bank's K.R. Puram branch.

According to the police, the arrested women were part of a 40-member gang from Malur in Kolar district that stole money from various banks across the State after diverting the attention of the customers.

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