He Attended Course On Cybercrime, Then Went On To Loot Hyderabad ATM

A man from Andhra Pradesh who came to Hyderabad to attend a cybercrime course was arrested for stealing cash from ATMs using the techniques he learned during the training.

Miyapur police under the Cyberabad commissionerate caught the accused red-handed while he was stealing money from an ATM late Sunday night. The arrest was made after police received a Dial 100 call.

“Police rushed to the spot immediately after the call and caught the accused red-handed while he was stealing money from an ATM,” said Miyapur ACP Y Srinivas Kumar.

The accused was identified as Vadde Katamaiah, a resident of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh. He had come to Hyderabad to learn cybercrime-related courses. During the training, he learned technical methods to steal money from ATMs.

Police said Katamaiah studied the technical features of ATMs belonging to certain companies and used that knowledge to commit thefts.

The ACP said the accused used to place a technical device inside the ATM to block cash from coming out when a customer tried to withdraw money.

“When the customer left thinking the transaction had failed, Katamaiah would remove the device and take the cash,” Srinivas Kumar added.

Police said another accused, Ramanjaneyulu, is on the run and efforts are on to trace him. Further investigation is underway to find out whether the arrested man was involved in similar cases elsewhere.