The Kasturba Marg police have arrested a 21-year-old man for allegedly tampering with ATMs in order to steal cash. The modus operandi is a reminder of how conmen and thieves are constantly reinventing their methods to escape detection and how we must be ahead in this race. The accused would glue the money dispensing slot shut, preventing users from withdrawing cash and would grab the notes once the person left. The arrest was made less than an hour after the accused tampered with an ATM in Borivli.

He was traced thanks to good CCTV surveillance. It is vital that ATMs have sharp surveillance inside the kiosks. This must be of the highest quality and maintenance should be a priority. Ideally, banks and even standalone ATMs must have a security guard or contact person at the ATM. This will give the public an opportunity to approach somebody at once, in case the ATMs are malfunctioning and the first indication of something not quite right or red flag can be raised at that time.