SBI ATM scam money ‘blown’ on IPL betting

Deepanker Gupta

Udhampur, June 3

Even as more than 15 days have passed since the police registered an FIR into the Rs 2.50-crore SBI ATM scam, maximum amount of money remains untraceable. Now, with the cops detaining two bookies and a handler, it has come to light that the money might have been spent on betting on IPL matches.

As police top officials are still tight-lipped, sources confirmed the arrest of two accused and detention of three Jammu residents. The accused might have spent a huge amount of money, which they had swindled from 16 ATMs, on IPL betting through two punters and the third person who has been detained had taken care of money transactions, they added.

The sources said that during the questioning, two alleged bookies had revealed some names of people who had betted on matches. The handler in this case runs a ‘halwai’ shop in the heart of Jammu city and the two alleged ATM scam accused had deposited the money for IPL betting into his account.

“We have detained some persons from Jammu city in this case and investigations are being carried out. We will soon hold a press conference and diverge all the details but at this juncture I cannot tell you any thing more,” said Surinder Gupta, DIG, Udhampur Reasi Range.

Earlier, the financial scam was detected at SBI’s main branch in Udhampur in which employees of the company who used to carry and fill cash in the ATMs in the city had swindled the money. After the registration of the FIR, several teams investigated the case. Ultimately, main suspect Sahil was arrested from Latti area.