Fraudsters tampered with PNB ATM Machine and stole Cash in Lucknow

₹86,500 was stolen from a cash deposit machine (CDM) located in the e-lobby of Punjab National Bank in Lucknow’s Naka Hindola area.

How theft was done?

The accused first damaged the machine’s cash shutter and other components.

They then wrote their own mobile number instead of the bank’s official helpline number.

A customer visited the ATM machine to deposit cash. Due to damaged machine, the cash got stuck in the machine. After he left, the accused withdrew ₹86,500 that was stuck in the machine.

The bank’s branch manager, Neha Srivastava, has filed a complaint with the police. She stated that the incident occurred between 2:30 and 3:45 pm on October 10. During this time, three or four unidentified individuals entered the bank’s e-lobby. They tampered with the cash shutter and other equipment of the CDM, damaging the machine. This disrupted the cash deposit process.

Meanwhile, bank customer Arpit Agarwal attempted to deposit ₹86,500 into the machine, but the amount was not credited to his account due to a glitch. The accused had removed the bank’s helpline number displayed in the e-lobby and replaced it with their own mobile number.

When the customer contacted the mobile number listed on the machine, the accused identified themselves as authorized representatives of the bank. They cited a technical glitch and said the customer’s funds were safe and the problem would resolve itself.

Falling for their deception, the customer left without taking any cash. The accused then returned to the e-lobby, withdrew the entire amount stored in the machine, and fled.

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